Pride, Prejudice, and Perinatalogy
by Shaelenina
Summary: Darcy is Perinatologist from an upper class family; Lizzie is a NICU nurse from the inner city with lots of unique life experiences. This story is mostly streaming Lizzie's thoughts about her life. This will not be a retelling of the story of Pride and Prejudice, but an alternate story with the same characters -with many changes in character relationships and ethnicity.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: I'd like some feedback on this story. This writing style is completely different than anything I have tried before, and I am finding it more difficult than I expected. I am thinking about starting over and trying a third person approach. What do you think?**

Chapter 1

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Aggh! What is that sound? Oh, it's just the alarm clock. I do this every day; you'd think I'd be used to it by now. But no, instead, every morning when I hear that thing beeping I think that the we are under a Soviet nuclear attack or something. Now, of course, I know that the Soviet Union no longer exists. It has not existed for most of my life. I probably get these crazy ideas from watching too many 1980s TV shows with Papa. I love those shows because it's always super obvious who the bad guys are, and they always get defeated. In real life, sometimes it's hard to know who the bad guys are, and sometimes they get away with it.

Anyway, by now, I've gotten out of bed and whacked the alarm clock to make it stop beeping. I'd like to defenestrate the alarm clock –defenestrate has been one of my favorite words ever since I learned it meant to throw something out the window. But in this case defenestration is hardly justified; it's not really the clock's fault that I have to wake up at five AM. I'm just so tired.

I look over at Jake, asleep in my bed and I remember why I am so tired. I'd forgotten I'd brought him to bed with me. It just seemed like the best option at 2 AM when he wouldn't go back to sleep unless I was holding him. For a moment I feel a little resentful. It shouldn't be my responsibility to take care of my nephew. But then I remind myself that it is my responsibility. Kitty certainly can't handle being a mother without the help; she's only seventeen. Mama isn't about to offer to help. She thought Kitty should get an abortion. I try not to remember Mama's voice lecturing Kitty about how awful it would be to be a mother and how having a baby would ruin her life. Well, maybe having me did ruin Mama's life, but I'm not about to let Kitty's life be ruined, and that is why it's my job to get up with Jake in the night.

I pick Jake up and tenderly tiptoe to his crib. Maybe I can set him down without waking him. AHHHH! What the…? Oh it's just the super-mega-jumbo pack of diapers left laying on the floor. I half trip over the box, but somehow I don't fall. Miraculously, Jake is still asleep. I lower the crib rail and gently place Jake on the crib, then I tiptoe away. Step. Step. Step.

"WAAAHH! IGGIE! IGGIE!"

"It's okay J! Aunt Lizzie just needs to take shower! Hush or you'll wake everyone else up!"

"Me too!"

"You want to shower too?"

"ES!"

So I grab Jake back out of the shower and take him with me into the bathroom. I start the shower, making it not quite as hot as I would like. Then I plug the drain, so there will be water at the bottom for Jake to play in. Then I turn to grab his favorite rubber ducky from the counter. Splash! Jake has climbed into the shower with his clothes still on.

"No, sweetie, you have to get naked to take a shower."

"NAKEEE!"

At least he doesn't argue as I pull him out and undress him. Then I undress myself and climb in the shower. It's not exactly relaxing, but in the end we're both clean, and Jake is more than happy after I towel him off to go running naked down the hall. I capture him and take him back to the bedroom. Then I turn the light on so that Kitty will start to wake up. Kitty sleeps pretty soundly, so the alarm clock and the crying toddler didn't wake her.

I grab my favorite pair of scrubs –wearing scrubs is one of the best parts of being a nurse; I can't imagine another profession where I could dress so comfortably. I can even wear my bright pink crocs to work if I want. Once I am dressed, I capture my naked nephew and place him on the bed and dress him too. Unfortunately, I can't find any clean socks for him, so I grab a couple from the laundry hamper. I doubt anyone at the daycare will notice his feet are slightly stinkier than usual.

Kitty still isn't up yet, so I start to sing to her, just like Uncle Eddy used to sing to me to wake me up.

"Morning has broken, like the first morning! Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird!" Only that's all I know of that song so I switch to reveille, "It's time to get up! It's time to get up! It's time to get up in the morning!"

Kitty's eyes are finally open.

"Wake up sleepy head."

Once I see that she is getting up, I whisk Jake away to the kitchen. I pour him a bowl of cheerios. There aren't enough for me. There are no other cereals in the cupboard. Ugh!

I take out the leftover split pea soup from last night's dinner. I put some of it in a Tupperware for my lunch, then I put the rest of it in a bowl to eat for breakfast.

Seeing my soup, Jake reaches out, "Pea toup!" My crazy nephew would rather eat split pea soup than cheerios. Fine, he can have the soup. I'll take the cheerios. "The one and only Cheerios!" I sing to him, and he giggles. Then I shovel the cheerios into my mouth so I can finish getting ready.

I pack a lunch for Kitty, and I stick a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster for her, so she'll have something to eat for breakfast. Then I decide to write a note to put in her lunch. A bright pink post-it seems best. _I hope your day is terrific! Lots of love, Lizzie._

A few minutes later the three of us are ready to go, so we climb into my super stylish automobile. Okay, so it's not super stylish; it's a 2002 Dodge Caravan. It has four wheels and goes vroom, and it seats a lot of people. All in all, it's a perfect vehicle.

Kitty and I are both quiet during the commute. It's takes about half-an-hour to drive from West Longbourn to downtown Meryton. It's not a bad drive this early in the morning, so I guess that's a plus for a start time of seven AM. If had to start at nine, we'd fight rush hour traffic each day.

I pull up to the doors at Kitty's school and help her unload Jake. It's an alternative public school. Lots of the girls here are mothers, so that have a daycare in the school. I think Kitty misses West Longbourn high sometimes, though after the way the kids there ridiculed her, I'm not sure why. Anyway, Kitty seems to like it here most of the time. She gets to do regular school work for half the day and vocational training the other half. She has chosen cosmetology as her vocation, so when she graduates high school, she'll be a licensed cosmetologist.

"Is Granny picking me up today?"

"I think Papa needs the car today. Why don't you take the bus home."

"You know I'm scared to take the bus by myself with Jake."

"I don't get off until seven, but if you want to wait that long, I am happy to bring you home."

"I think I can get some extra salon hours in after classes, so I'll wait for you."

"Have a good day, Kitty Kat!"

"You too, Lizard!"

I watch my sister carry my nephew into the building, then I hop back in and drive to Meryton University Hospital where I am the lead nurse in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). It's not a long drive, so before long I am pulling into the parking garage, and parking in my usual spot. Then I head into work.

I know I need to be at work this morning, but I sort of wish that I had decided to defenestrate the alarm clock and crawled back under the covers. Defenestrate. It just has such a nice ring to it. Wasn't there some sort of important event called "The Defenestration of Prague"? I am pretty sure there was. Maybe it was the beginning of the Hundred Years War? Or was it the thirty years war? I don't think it was the Seven Years War. They should really think of better names for wars; that would be so much less confusing. I'll have to google this later. I bet Wikipedia has an article about the "The Defenestration of Prague."

BAM! Oh no! I have just walked straight into Dr. Darcy. And now I am covered with his coffee. Smells caramelly. I didn't think he'd be the sort to drink a caramel macchiato. Maybe it's just a latte. Oh, I suppose I better say something to him. Why couldn't I have ran into anybody else?

"Oh Dr. Darcy, I am so sorry. I was distracted thinking about the 'Defenestration of Prague.'" Why did I just tell him that? Now he's staring at me like I have three heads.

"Next time just watch where you're going." He sounds mad. I bet I'd be mad if I just spent five dollars on a cup of coffee and someone ran into me.

"Would you like me to buy you another coffee, sir?"

"That will not be necessary." Then he just turns and leaves? That was rude. But I did cause him to lose his coffee. Maybe he's just grumpy in the morning?

I open wash up and then open the door to the NICU and head straight to the office. I look at my watch 6:57, I am not late. Thank goodness!

"Lizzie!" It's my best friend and fellow NICU nurse Char Patel. Now she's looking at me rather oddly.

"I just ran into Dr. Darcy. This is his coffee spilled down my front." Char smirks at me. She knows I've had a bit of a crush on Dr. Darcy for years.

"Yeah, but what is that green goop in your hair?" I reach my hand up to the top of my head.

"Split Pea Soup. Jake must have flung it at me this morning."

"Serves you right for serving a toddler pea soup for breakfast."

"Hey! He wanted it."

"Sure girl! Say why don't you go get cleaned up? We've got a new intern coming today, and I am sure you want to make a good first impression."

While I am in the restroom, I am wondering if the pea soup is why Dr. Darcy looked at me that way. Well I sure didn't make a good impression on him this morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

This shift in the NICU is basically like any other so far. I have three infants in my care, and for NICU babies the first two are pretty low maintenance. The first one was born at 33 weeks gestation, he's been here for two weeks, weighs five pounds and will probably be going home tomorrow. The second was full term and is in here because of blood sugar issues. He weight nine pounds, so I am pretty sure his Mama had gestational diabetes. That's usually the case with babies his size. The third baby in my care is Olive. She's one week old and was born at only 28 weeks gestation. Her birth weight was only 1 lb 3 oz, which is tiny even considering how early she was. She on a ventilator and is receiving all her nutrition through an IV. Honestly, it's hard to be optimistic about Olive. At the moment there isn't much to be done for her.

Once I learn from the night nurse exactly was has happened with my charges in the last twelve hours, I take the babies vitals and make sure their IVs are correct and that they have all the medications they need. Then I prepare bottles for the first two babies as they are about to have feeding time. They both have parents who are here visiting and will feed them. Some babies in the NICU are left alone, but not these babies.

All the time while I am taking care of my little ones –I really shouldn't call my patients this; it sounds like I am getting too attached- I am thinking about Dr. Darcy. The man whose coffee has stained my favorite scrubs doesn't seem like the thoughtful young man I met at that banquet a few years ago, but again, I did spill his coffee.

I remember that banquet so clearly. I was just sixteen years old and in my last year of high school. The Fitzwilliam Foundation, the charitable arm of Fitzwilliam Medical, was giving me a full scholarship to the college of my choice. They had this special banquet for all of the scholarship winners. The banquet was pretty awful. I didn't know how to act or what to say when I met all these fancy people, so I finally told Mama I had to use the restroom and escaped into the hallway. Out there in the hallway, I saw a handsome young man. He looked like he was about 24 years old. He must have sensed my distress because he spoke to me.

"Libby Jackson, right?" (It's hard to remember that used to be my name).

"That's me."

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, I know we met earlier, but I'm not sure you'd remember."

"I met an awful lot of people Mr. Darcy. I can't really remember them all, but I do remember you." I remembered him because of Mama's reaction to him. .

"I imagine you aren't used to formal banquets like this."

"Not at all, sir! Did you see how many forks there are? Of course, I'm sure you're used to that. The only fancy dinners I've ever been to are the ones at church. We don't have a whole bunch of forks. If there's going to be a dessert, they tell us to hang onto our forks. That's how you know something good is coming. Honestly, it makes more sense. Don't you think? I mean there's a lot less dishes to wash that way." Mr. Darcy is now laughing, and I apologize for rambling.

"Oh no, it's quite all right. I am sure your way does make more sense. To tell you the truth, I don't like these banquets either. I find it so hard to make small talk with people I don't know. They make me so nervous."

"You're talking to me just fine?"

"Yes, but you seemed even more nervous than I. I suppose that made you less intimidating."

"Ahh. You know, this party wouldn't be so bad if Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie were here. They always make me feel more comfortable. I hate to say this, but Mama makes me feel more out of place. By the way, I'm sorry about how Mama acted to you earlier."

"What do you mean? I don't remember your mother doing anything."

"You must have a really poor memory then. I'm sure you remember my mother, Lydia Jackson. She's the one who was all over you."

"She's your mother? But she's so young."

"That's right."

"I thought the older lady with you was your mother."

"Nope. Fanny Jackson is my Granny. She's a pretty good Granny. She didn't used to take care of me so well, but she does now. She's going to be Mrs. Bennet soon. I like Mr. Bennet, so I am pretty happy about that. I think Granny getting married is part of why Mama wanted me back."

"I don't understand."

"I've been in Foster Care since I was eight. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, I call them Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie, took me in. They homeschooled me, and they're the reason I am graduating at sixteen and they're the reason I'm getting this scholarship, I'm sure. But a couple months ago, Mama decided she wanted custody again. I think it's so she can take credit for all the awards I'm receiving or something. It's not like she likes me very much. But the courts decided she was a fit enough mother for me. Plus, I think we're all going to move in with Mr. Bennet once Granny gets married."

"I see."

"I'm sorry Mr. Darcy. I am telling you my whole life story, and I just met you."

"I don't mind; however, we probably ought to return to the banquet. I think there is some sort of raspberry cheesecake for dessert, so it shouldn't be that bad."

So that was my first meeting with Fitzwilliam Darcy. I was actually amazed a few days later when Uncle Eddy told me they had received a letter from Mr. Darcy. Apparently, he had written them telling them how I had told him how much I appreciated what they had done for me. I thought it was so sweet. So here's this really handsome really thoughtful guy, of course, I had to have a crush on him. I knew he was way too old for me, but a girl can daydream.

I didn't see him again for another two years. It was at another one of these fancy banquets, but this time I was graduating from college. I wasn't quite so nervous about the forks anymore, but I still wasn't exactly at ease. This time, though, I had Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie with me as well as Mama and Granny –my invitation to the banquet had a handwritten note telling me I could bring two extra guests, not just the two the invitation said I could bring. I assume that was Mr. Darcy's doing, but I don't know.

Anyway, I wandered into the hallway again, and again I found Fitzwilliam Darcy avoiding the crowd.

"Libby Jackson! I was hoping to see you here tonight."

"Mr. Darcy. Likewise."

"Graduating from nursing school in only two years with a 4.0 is an amazing accomplishment."

"Thank you, sir."

"Do you plan to further your education? Perhaps go into medical school."

"Oh no, sir. I don't even think that is an option."

"For financial reasons?"

"Partly."

"If you want to go to medical school, I expect I could convince the foundation to finance you. We don't usually offer scholarships for anything beyond a bachelors degree, but you have done so overwhelmingly well, that I expect I could convince the board to make an exception for you."

"Mr. Darcy, I appreciate the compliment. I truly do, but I really don't want to be a doctor. Not just because I don't want to spend the money. Not just because I want to start earning money now. I don't want to be a doctor. I don't want to dedicate my life to medical school. That isn't my dream."

"Do you have a dream? Is nursing really your dream for your life? If so that's fine. Nursing is an admirable profession."

"Honestly, I am not sure I should tell you. You might not approve."

"I am sure I will respect whatever dream you share."

"I want to meet someone, fall in love, get married, have children and stay at home and take care of them. I think I will really enjoy nursing, and that it will be a fulfilling career, but my real dream is to have a family. I know that's not the proper thing for an independent woman from the twenty-first century to want, but it's what I want."

"I don't think there is anything improper in that."

"Thank you."

"Just don't try acting like your mother to achieve that goal." He winked at me then, and we both laughed.

Two years ago Darcy started working here at the hospital. He's a perinatalogist now. That department is in a different wing of the hospital, but I see him fairly often. He even comes into the NICU once in awhile to check on the babies he's delivered. The babies aren't really his patients, only the mothers are. I guess he thinks that checking on the babies is part of checking on the mommies. From what I hear, he's a very good doctor, though some of the new mothers complain about his bedside manner. They say he doesn't sugar coat things at all, and sometimes it's hard to hear the truth, but maybe that's not so bad.

Kitty went to see him once, when she was pregnant with Jake. Some of her test results came out odd, so her obstetrician referred her to Dr. Darcy. He investigated a lot of different things, but in the end he concluded that there really wasn't anything wrong with the baby or with Kitty. Kitty asked him why the test results were the way they were. He just looked at her and said in a serious voice, "I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. It could turn out that you aren't the baby's real mother." Kitty didn't think that was funny at all, but I kind of did. What I didn't think was funny was the lecture he gave her about promiscuity. I wasn't there, though, so maybe Kitty was exaggerating. According to her, he treated her like she was some slut who couldn't control herself. I guess he didn't look at her chart very well either, though, because if he had known the circumstances, he wouldn't have acted that way.

My reverie is interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Cheng. I don't really like Dr. Cheng. He's a good doctor. He takes really good care of these babies, but he is terrible with the parents, and he's not very friendly with the nurses. Along with Dr. Cheng is what seems like a legion: a fellow, a couple of residents, two interns –including the new one, and three medical students. I brief them on my patients, and Dr. Cheng asks a plethora of questions. Then he introduces me to the new guy. Charles Bingley. Mr. Bingley will be interning in the NICU the next few months, so it seems like, I'll get to know him pretty well.

After the gang of doctors and soon-to-be doctors has seen all of the patients, Dr. Cheng asks me to please show Mr. Bingley the ropes, so to speak. I'm supposed to tell him all about the NICU, explain all the procedures and policies. Mr. Bingley is a handsome young man, close to my own age. His curly blonde hair makes me want to ruffle it like I would a golden retriever. He reminds me of a puppy dog, but I don't know why. I probably shouldn't tell him that though.

As soon as Dr. Cheng leaves, Bingley has asked me to call him Charlie. I oblige and tell him to call me Lizzie. He seems really eager to learn everything. He's also super nervous. I laugh with him a little and make mundane conversation. I tell him first about the patients. Then I tell him about my run in with Dr. Darcy this morning and the pea soup that was in my hair. I don't mention the doctor by name, but the smile on his face tells me he already heard the story before. Oh dear! Of course Charlie would know Dr. Darcy. They must be friends for him to have shared that silly story already. Charlie doesn't say anything about Dr. Darcy, though, instead he asks more about my family.

"So the little boy who threw the peas at you was your nephew right?"

"That's right, Jake is almost two. His mom is my sister Kitty. She's only seventeen, so I help with Jake a lot."

"Do you have any other sisters?"

"No, but I have two almost sisters."

"Almost sisters?"

"Technically they are aunts. Or maybe I should say step-aunts. My granny got married when I was sixteen to Mr. Bennet, who I call Papa. He has two daughters Jane and Mary. They are both just a little younger than me, and since we all live together they are like sisters to me."

"What are they like?"

"Well they are both petite, with caramel colored skin. Mr. Bennet has chocolaty brown skin like me, so I look more like him than his daughters do. But they're mama was a Vietnamese refugee. They are both beautiful, though I'd say Janie is more beautiful. Janie is the most loving, kind person ever. She is so good. She always thinks the best of every situation and sees the good in every person. Mary is different. She is super intelligent, she's in school for computer engineering now. I will say though that Mary doesn't do well in social situations. She has an autism spectrum disorder. It's not super obvious, but people do notice that she's different, so that makes it hard for her. She doesn't have a lot of friends, but she's a really good person."

"Wow. So you live with your grandparents then?"

"Yeah, Mama lives with us some of the time when she's between boyfriends. What about your family?" I hope I have distracted him so that he doesn't ask about my father. I hate those questions.

"I have two sisters. One is married. The other is still single and just a couple years older than me."

"Is that it?"

"My parents passed away, and I'm afraid we became somewhat estranged from the rest of the family."

"Oh. I am so sorry."

"No it's alright."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! It's Olive's monitor. I rush to her. It looks like she is having some sort of seizure.

"Quick! Call Dr. Cheng! Ask if we can give her Phenobarbital!" Charlie complies, and in less than a minute we have administered the anti-seizure medication. Olive quickly seems to have calmed down.

"Now can you ask the doctor about running consulting a pediatric neurologist?"

Dr. Cheng has never listened to me so fast before. He must respect interns more than nurses. Maybe it'll be a good thing that Charlie is here.

About half-an-hour passes before Dr. Amy arrives. I recognize her immediately as a pediatric neurologist. She's kind of hard to forget. Her snowman turtleneck with a blue paisley cardigan is certainly an unusual combination, especially since it's nowhere near Christmastime. Her hair is swept into a bun held back with bright red chopsticks. I guess she doesn't have to dress to impress. She has the brains to impress anyone.

We conference about Olive's care, and she commends Charlie for the quick thinking on the medication. He told Dr. Amy that it was at my suggestion, and she seems pleased with that. She orders a whole battery of tests. I know it might be hopeless, but I still love that we are fighting for little Olive. She deserves it.

Once everything is squared away, I realize it is almost noon. I ask Charlie if he has lunch plans. He does not, so we agree to eat lunch together. Yay! The handsome, friendly new intern is going to eat lunch with me. This should be fun.

We pick a table in the cafeteria and continue our friendly lively conversation. I know Char will tease me about this when I get back. I am okay with that though. I am just happy to have made a new friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! Why do I always think of this stupid Rebecca Black song every Friday afternoon. It just pops in there and I can't make it leave. Everybody makes fun of the poor girl, but I'm still singing her song in my head on a weekly basis. I am so glad it's Friday though. All in all this has been a good week. None of the NICU babies have died this week. Even Olive is still hanging on. Her mama still can't come down and see her, because of that terrible infection. Her daddy, I think his name's Antonio, is here all the time. He sits beside her station in the uncomfy chair and works on his laptop. He pretty much only leaves during charting time when visitors aren't allowed. I've seen a lot of moms like that, but never such a devoted dad.

"Hey, we're going to YOLOs tonight!" Oh, whatever. Sounds like Char's got a thing with her friends. I am just glad I can go home and crash. It's been such a long week. Wait did she say WE.

"We?"

"I invited a few of the other nurses and interns. And you're coming to. Bingley's coming, but he only agreed after I said you'd be there. I think he's bringing a friend."

"What? I can't go to some bar tonight. Why'd you tell him I was coming?"

"I didn't think he'd come otherwise."

"But I've got to give Kitty and Jake a ride home. And I have to pick Granny up from her work, 'cause Papa's car's busted again." I think it's the timing belt. His car is an ancient rust bucket, 1994 Ford Escort I think. That car is almost as old as me.

"You call Mrs. Bennet. Tell her Charlie will be there. I am sure you can work something out. Maybe you can let her use your van, and I'll take you home with me."

"Fine, Char." Why am I doing this? Why have I agreed to it? Is it because of Charlie? He's handsome and all, but I don't really think I like him that way. I mean we've eat lunch together every day since he arrived, and it's been so much fun. I like talking to him and he seems really charming.

Now I've got to call Granny and convince her.

"Hey Granny!"

"Libby, is something the matter." Will Granny never stop calling me Libby? No probably not.

"It's just that Char invited me to go out with some friends tonight and I was wondering if we could change plans around. You could use the van. Char says I could stay with her tonight. It's not a school night, so Kitty can get up with Jake if he wakes at night."

"Oh, Libby, you know I don't drive downtown."

"Please, Granny. I almost never go out. This doesn't seem like too much of a favor."

"I don't think I can, sweetheart."

"But we have this new intern, who just started this week. He's really nice and he said he would be there."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? Is he handsome?" I hate that I knew this would work.

"He definitely is. So you'll help me out?"

"I totally will. I'll also bring somethin' for you to wear. We wouldn't want you goin' out in scrubs."

"Thanks Granny, you're awesome."

Is this right? I've gotten my granny to help out by implying that I have a romantic interest in Charlie. Maybe it's unethical? Gosh, I hope she isn't already mentally planning our wedding!

"I can come, Char."

Now back to work. Tonight's going to be so much fun! I've never been to YOLOs before, but I've heard it's great. Do they have dancing and karaoke? I think that's what I heard. Not usually the type of place I go, but I feel up for an adventure. This is so not my usual scene.

Seven o'clock rolls around and I finish up my charts. Why does there have to be so much paper work. I double and triple check everything and give an update to the nurse taking over for the next shift. And I am off! Off to see the Wizard! No just off.

I hop into my chariot, that is my lovely van, and I am on my way. First, I get Kitty and Jake. Kitty's so excited today. It turns out they are going to let her class starting work with actual people soon. She'll need to do a lot of haircuts and styles to get the credits she needs. She is clearly already thinking of my new hairstyle in her head.

Then we drive to pick Granny up from the Burger King where she works. She hands me a dress to put on. This is not my dress. It's bright pink I do not have a bright pink dress. It must be Jane's.

"This isn't mine?"

"You sure? It was in yo' closet."

"Granny, you are messing with me."

"Just put it on, it'll look sweet."

I head to the grimy restroom and put on the proffered dress. I can get it on. Jane is not as curvy as me. Her booty is way smaller. She's more petite too. This dress probably looks divine on Jane. On me it's too tight and too short. What else am I supposed to do, I'll wear the stupid dress. Granny whistles when I get out of the dress. We head to the van and Kitty tells me I look fantabulous. That is not a word, and if it was it does not describe how I look. At least Granny grabbed the right shoes for me. I put on my dancing shoes and Granny drives me to the Club and pulls up in front.

"You have fun with that young man, sweetie!"

"Whatever you say!"

As I am stepping out, I see a sleek little black BMW. Charlie's getting out of the passenger side, so I walk over. Of course, Dr. Darcy is getting out of the driver's side. He's looks pretty great in a blue dress shirt and khakis. Oh my! Are those fuzzy dice? Dr. Darcy has bright pink fuzzy dice on his rearview mirror? Oh my word! I can't help it, I have to giggle.

"Hey, Charlie! Hey Dr. Darcy!"

"Hey Lizzie!" Charlie responds with a huge grin. Darcy is not grinning. He doesn't greet me.

Darcy looks at Charlie and blurts out, "I can't believe you convinced me to come to a place called YOLOs." So I know Darcy doesn't like the whole social thing, but does that give him the right to be rude to me? I think not! I hope he's not still mad about the coffee from Monday. Maybe he doesn't want to look at me because of the soup that was on my head? It doesn't matter. Charlie has offered his arm and we're walking into the club together.

Oh I am so glad Char is already here with the other friends she brought! Charlie and I go and say hi to them, with Darcy trailing along after. Then before I know it Charlie has asked me to dance. I love to dance! I don't really know how to dance to this sort of music. I am more of a ballroom kind of girl. Aunt Maddie and Uncle Eddy sent me to ballroom dance lessons for several years. I also really like the Indian dances Char has taught me. This kind of dancing may not be as fun, but it's still fun. Charlie's a good dance partner. I wonder if Dr. Darcy dances well. This whole scene doesn't seem like his kind of place, but I'd love to dance with him.

It's been a couple of songs now. Charlie should go dance with some of the others so he can get to know them. I tell him so, and he agrees. Then I head to the restroom, mostly to see if I can pull my dress down to cover my thighs a little more. I can. Now I've got too much cleavage. Zounds! What do I do? I guess I pray that no one notices. What kind of girl wears a bright pink dress and doesn't want to get noticed? This girl.

So I pop out of the bathroom and head down the hall to the main room. Have courage! I can go talk to Dr. Darcy. I've done it before. He's a nice guy, just because he was rude tonight. But then I hear voices. Darcy's voice I and Charlie's voice to be exact.

"Okay, Darcy, I know you don't want to dance. But please try to be friendly."

"You know I only came to meet this Lizzie girl you keep going on about!"

"Surely you agree with me that she's quite lovely?" Are you kidding me? Charlie thinks I'm lovely? Mayday! Mayday! Well he is pretty cute, himself. Cute in that lost puppy dog sort of way.

"Charlie, she looks like a slut! A woman only dresses that way for one reason. You better watch out." That Jerk! Mr. Tall and Handsome and thoughtful is a complete jerk! Sometimes a woman has another reason! Wouldn't it be funny to see what Granny thought of this.

"You are misjudging her. She is one of the smartest people I know. I really think you'd enjoy talking to her if you gave yourself the chance." Maybe I like Charlie, after all. He is so kind.

"I doubt it." Oh that insufferable man. I decide it's time to stop listening in, so I walk forward calmly and casually past them, and smile widely for both. Then I head to the bar to order a drink. I don't drink alcohol. Uncle Eddy was always totally against it, so I don't drink. But here in a bar, I think I'll feel less out of place if I have a fun drink to hold. I tell the bartender my dilemma; he laughs and makes a drink for me. A virgin Dacquiri. It's pretty darn good. He even puts a cute little umbrella in it. And a plastic sword.

I look for Char. Her drink has a plastic sword too. So I challenge her to a duel. EN GARDE! TOUCHE! Darcy is staring at us now as we duel with pink, 4 inch plastic swords. Why is he staring? Probably because I am a freak. Ugh! I let myself get distracted and now she has flung the sword away! We both collapse into a fit of giggles.

"Dance?" I ask. Char nods. We scurry to the dance floor. Charlie comes and joins us, and the three of us dance together a couple of dances. Then they play "Zoot Suit Riot!" I love this song. I look to Charlie and ask if he can swing. He cannot. I bet his sullen friend who is staring at us can. I am not going to ask. Instead Char and I try to swing together. First I am the guy, but I can't do it, backwards. Then Char tries. She can't either. We are both in hysterics from trying though. If I'd no dancing at a bar could be so much fun, maybe I'd have tried it sooner. I look over and see that Dr. Darcy is still staring.

Ooh! Look! Karaoke time! After a couple of other performers, Charlotte suggests we should try. We look through the song choices. I suggest "Red Neck Woman." My fair Indian friend laughs at me. You're ghetto and I'm from India, I don't think we can pull it off. She suggests "I'm too Sexy." There is no way I am singing that! Finally, I see "R-E-S-P-E-C-T". Char insists she cannot do Aretha Franklin justice, and somehow she convinces me to get up on stage and do it myself. Is this some form of torture. I've only ever sung solos at church, and that is completely different somehow.

I'm going to put my all into this song. Why is Dr. Grumpy Pants staring at me? I falter a moment, but then my courage rises. My singing is maybe not the greatest, but I think I did a pretty good job. There's a lot of applause. Even Dr. Darcy is applauding grudgingly. I look at him and wink before I step down from the stage. I see him look over to Charlie, who's standing next to him. Charlie thinks the wink was for him. Oh dear! What have I done?

Well, if Char has gotten me to sing by myself, she is going to sing too! She agrees and picks some Miley Cyrus song. It's actually pretty catchy. Maybe she gets too much grief too. Ah well.

After Char's done, I suggest it's time to go. We say goodbye to our friends, and Charlie and Darcy walk out with us. Char hands me her keys, since she had a cocktail. She's probably fine to drive, but I don't mind. Then I hear Dr. Darcy behind me.

"I don't think Lizzie should drive?"

"What?" I am incredulous.

"All that giggling. You've clearly had too much to drink and are impaired."

"You are mistaken, sir." I can't help it; I start laughing at him.

Char steps in, and looks at me slyly, "I don't know he could be right?"

"What are you saying?"

"Well I think that sip of champagne you took at your granny's wedding might be affecting you still."

"Don't forget that shot of vodka I drank at that one frat party I went to Freshman year. That was definitely a bad decision." Char is now laughing hysterically beside me.

"I forgot about that. Remember how our RA was so drunk and wouldn't leave you alone."

"I couldn't forget if I wanted to. So yes, that must be impairing me now." I look into Dr. Darcy's eyes.

"But I saw you drinking." Darcy does not give up easily. I kind of like it that he cares.

"It's going to take a lot more than one virgin dacquiri to impair my driving, Dr. Darcy. Perhaps you should consider yourself to be the one impaired, as you seem to have lost your ability to enjoy life."

Charlie is clearly uncomfortable and just wants to get out. So I wave to him.

"By Charlie, I'll see you Monday!"

With that, Char and I hop into her car, and drive to her home. I am still fuming about Dr. Darcy, though. First he accuses me of being slut and then being drunk. Doesn't he know me better than that? I am also sure I will never let Granny dress me again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I love waking up at Char's house. It's so comfy and quiet. This guest room is twice the size of the room I share with Kitty and Jake. The house is so nice; I would love to have a house like this. I shouldn't envy Char. She's an awesome friend, but I can't help the little bit of envy that creeps up when I spend the night here. It's not just her house it's her family. It's not that I don't love my family, but her family is so nice and peaceful. Oh goodness! It's after nine o'clock they are probably already eating breakfast. Mrs. Patel cooks for every single meal. The whole family eats together when they are all home. I love the spicy curries she makes, the breakfasts aren't my favorite. Who wants to eat super spicy food for breakfast? I hope there is some sort of bread to eat today. Mrs. Patel makes the best naan; it's so much better than the stuff at Indian restaurants.

Oh good I can see bread on the table. Yogurt too. So I am spared a death by spices this morning.

"Good Morning, Lizzie!" Dr. Patel is greeting me. He is just about the friendliest person alive. He is always trying to make everyone feel welcome. I admit he can be socially awkward sometimes. He's been in the U.S. for twenty years, but he still follows some Indian customs. He's so kind, though, that any awkwardness has to be forgiven immediately.

"Morning, Dr. Patel. Thanks as always for letting me stay here."

"You know, you are always welcome to stay here. The house is so empty with Naresh and Maria both away at college. You could even live with us, we have the room." It's so tempting. I love it here. In fact the only thing that I don't love about the Patel's house is the idols. The Patels are Hindu. At least Mrs. Patel is. I don't think any of the others take their religion seriously. I've even known Char to eat a cheeseburger a time or two. I am sure her mother would flip out if she knew. Anyway, the house is full of all these intricate statues of the various Hindu gods. I know it's not culturally sensitive of me, but I find them a little creepy.

"You know I couldn't leave Jake and Kitty behind, like that."

"Oh, but someday you'll have to, when you get married." This is Mrs. Patel speaking. She's a bit of a matchmaker, but she's not as pushy about it as Granny.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

"You may get there soon, no? I hear you're quite friendly with this intern Bingley."

"Charlie is a good friend, but that is all. Please don't start planning a wedding yet."

"Oh a friend is all you need to marry. This falling in love before you are married is all nonsense. In India we still do things the right way. You get married, and then you spend the rest of your life falling in love." I know the Patels love each other, so I guess this worked for them. Still, I am glad I am not Char at the moment, whatever envy I was feeling before. I know she feels like an American, so she must not accept this idea. I look at her. She is 27 and still unmarried. Will she bow to Mrs. Patel's desires? I hope not.

"After we eat, would you like to go for a bike ride?" Char is good at changing the subject.

"I'd love to. But you'll have to lone me some clothes." For the first time, the Patel's look at me and see that I am wearing this horrible pink dress. I see their disapproval, "My granny brought this for me to wear last night. I have never been so embarrassed." I don't want them to think badly of me. One of the reasons the Patels approved my friendship with Char is that the Gardiners were more strict than they were. The Gardiners also knew that the Patels wouldn't let me get away with anything. Dr. and Mrs. Patel don't approve of Mama or Granny. I don't want them to stop approving of me.

"I think Maria has some cycling clothes you could borrow. I'd loan you something of mine, but I don't think it would fit." Char is tall and thin, I am short and not thin. Definitely not thin. Her clothes would obviously not fit me.

Maria does have clothes I can borrow for biking. She actually has biking shorts. Oh, yeah, that's right Maria used to do competitive cycling. I wonder if she still does. Probably not, or she wouldn't have left these shorts behind. I pull the shorts on, and then Char hands me a t-shirt. It's a little snug, but it'll do. I'm not going out in company after all, I am just going for a bike ride.

Dr. Patel is going to ride with us. It seems like such family thing to do. A family bike ride. Maybe I can get some of my family to try it. I could get a baby seat for my bike and put Jake in it. That would be so much fun. I really enjoy the time Dr. Patel spends with us. We come to the trail we're going to take.

"North or South?" Char asks. She's in the lead.

"North," I reply. Then we can gawk at the mansions. Char's family is well-off and they have a lovely home, but if you go just a little farther north, there are serious mansions. I cannot really imagine living in such a place. Even if I had the money, I wonder if I could justify it. It's so wasteful. It would totally be nice to have a large home, though. Our house has three bedrooms. Granny and Papa have the largest. Then Kitty, Jake and I have the next one. Jane and Mary share the smallest, there's barely room for a bunk bed in there. Mama only lives with us some of the time. She's always bouncing between guys. When she is there, she sleeps on a mattress in the basement. The basement is unfinished, but it's only a little bit creepy. I try to keep the spiders out. Spiders totally freak me out.

We've ridden a couple miles now. Our pace has slowed and we are admiring the scenery. The breeze in my face feels so good.

Char and I are riding side by side now.

"Bingley sure seems to like you a lot."

"He's a really nice guy."

"You ought to flirt with him more. You should secure his affections soon. That will be a good match."

"You can't be serious. I really don't have an attraction to Charlie. I hope it doesn't seem like I do."

"Is this because you're still harboring a crush on Dr. Darcy? He totally couldn't his eyes off you while you were singing last night."

"Only because he thought I was a drunken slut! Seriously, I don't think I like the guy anymore."

"He obviously was not having the best day. He's friends with Dad. I could try to convince my parents to invite you both to dinner at the same time."

"Please don't."

Char and I stop look both ways and then cross the street which we've just come to. Dr. Patel is just a few yards behind, so we slow a little to wait.

SCREECH! OH MY! KRIKE! GOD IN HEAVEN, HELP! Where a moment ago Dr. Patel was, there is now a car. A shiny black BMW. His bike is a few feet away, but where is he. God, no, he's under the car. Dear God, save Dr. Patel!

There is a man jumping out of the car. About six feet, sandy blond hair. I can't see his face. He is running like mad into the woods. I want to chase him but I know that I can't. Char is standing like a statue. I rush to Dr. Patel, climbing part way under the car.

"Can't move." He mutters. He is covered with blood. It doesn't look the vehicle is actually pinning him down though.

"I need your phone."

"Left pocket."

Thankfully I can reach that pocket and pull the phone out. I dial 911 before I am even out from under the car. I give the operator a quick description of the accident and the location. I know I am speaking to her, but it is as though someone else is. Then I call Mrs. Patel and explain to her what has happened. She will meet us at the hospital. While I am talking to her I see something else. No, it cannot be. Pink fuzzy dice. On the rear view mirror. What are the chances? I am 100% sure that this is Dr. Darcy's car. After I hang up with Mrs. Patel. I look in the phone. I find Darcy's name in the contacts. I can't believe I am doing this. I have to, though. While the phone rings, I walk over to Char and wrap my arm around her.

"Hello?" A very sleepy voice answers.

"Hi, this is Elizabeth Bennet."

"How can I help you? How did you get this number?"

"This is Dr. Patel's phone. There's been an accident. We were biking and a car crashed into him. I've called 911 and there is an ambulance on the way. It looks like there's a firetruck here now, actually."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. But why have you called me?"

"I am pretty sure the car that hit him, is yours."

"What? Okay, let me check the garage." A long pause, "AHHH! That Bugger!"

"So I take it you know who took your car?"

"I am pretty sure I know. I'll tell you later. Are the police there yet?"

"Not yet."

"I am coming over, where is this accident." I tell him the location and he hangs up.

The ambulance is here. The EMTs move the car just a little. Now they are loading him onto a stretcher.

"What happened?" Dr. Darcy. How did he get here so quickly? He must have been close by. I tell him everything that happened. I'm not going to cry. Oh. I am crying.

Now there are police officers here. Char is trying to tell them what she saw. I step over to her, and share what I saw. Char didn't see the blond man.

Now the EMTs are asking Char to ride with them to the hospital. She is climbing into the ambulance. Dr. Darcy is talking to the police. I want to hear what he has to say.

"This is your car sir? But you weren't the driver?"

"It is my car. I was not the driver, but I know who the driver was."

"You had loaned your car to a friend then?" The officer is sneering.

"George Wickham is not my friend anymore. Mr. Wickham showed up at my house in the wee hours of the morning. I can't explain all of our history briefly, but suffice it to say that we have a disagreement regarding an inheritance he received from my father. He was drunk and ranting last night, yelling about my unfairness. I felt no need to give him the money he was asking for, but I did offer him a place to sleep, mostly because I did not want him out and about in his drunken state. This morning he must have slipped out of the house and taken my car. I didn't know that he or the car were gone until I received Miss Bennet's call."

"I see. And Miss Bennet, how did you come to call Mr. Darcy here?"

"I recognized Dr. Darcy's car. I had seen it before and remember the pink dice. Dr. Patel had Dr. Darcy's number in his phone."

"Miss Bennet, I am impressed with your quickness of actions. Dr. Darcy, could you describe this George Wickham to us?" The description matches the man I saw. The officer looks at me and he nods.

After a few more questions, they finally send us on our way. Dr. Darcy is loading the bikes into his SUV.

"What are you doing, sir?"

"I thought we shouldn't leave the bikes while I take you to the hospital?" He is presumptuous, but I do not care. I nod.

Time passes in a blur. Is Dr. Patel going to be okay? Oh, dear God, please let him be okay.

By the time we arrive at the hospital, Dr. Patel has been taken into surgery. We join Mrs. Patel and Char in the waiting area. They don't seem to know what is going on. Nobody knows what to say. I notice that Dr. Darcy has disappeared. Well, he doesn't have any reason to sit and wait with us.

"How thoughtful!" Mrs. Patel is speaking. Speaking to Dr. Darcy. He has just brought in four cups of coffee. I smile at him. I also remember with embarrassment the incident with the coffee from Monday morning. At least there is no pea soup on my head today. I smile a weak smile and thank him for the coffee.

How long have we been sitting here? It feels like hours. It has been hours. Finally, here is the surgeon coming to report.

"Dr. Patel's neck was severely broken, and there has been severe damage to his spinal column and the nerves within. We have done what we can to repair that damage, but there is not much that can be done."

"Will he recover?" Mrs. Patel is practically gasping.

"He will survive. His mental function is completely unimpaired. He will not recover fully. He will be paraplegic, possibly quadriplegic." No! Not Dr. Patel who is so active and full of life. This will be the end of his career. I am hugging Char, barely knowing that I am doing it. I tell her it will be okay. I don't believe it, but I am saying it anyway.

An hour or so later, Dr. Patel is awake. Mrs. Patel and Char are allowed to go into recovery.

"I think it's time for me to take you home." Dr. Darcy take me home? Do I want him to see my home?

"You don't need to do that. I can take the bus."

"I insist." Of course you do. He is leading me back to where we parked. I would never have remembered where that was. I am following numbly.

"Would you like to get something to eat before I take you home?"

"To be perfectly honest, I am terribly hungry. But I don't really think I can go out anywhere like this." Oh great! Now Darcy is looking at me. I don't think he noticed my cycling attire before. I don't want him to see me like this.

"Drive through, then?" I laugh. For some reason the idea of Fitzwilliam Darcy pulling into the drive thru seems funny. Implausible even.

"Sure."

"How does Arby's sound?" I am laughing again. Not that Arby's is funny. In fact it seems a little classier than McD's or Burger King. But after spending the whole day sitting with my Hindu friends, we are going to eat roast beef. I am terribly culturally insensitive. I certainly cannot admit this, can I?

"We can get something else?" He says, and I realize I have not responded.

"No Arby's is terrific. I think after a day like this that I deserve a jamocha shake."

"I dare say you do."

So we're in the drive thru. I tell Dr. Darcy what to order for me. He makes my shake large instead of small. Then I realize I can't pay for my food. My purse is still at Char's house. I can pay him back later.

"Dr. Darcy, I just remembered that I don't have any money with me. Do you mind if I pay you back later

"You are not paying me back. I am buying your lunch."

"Umm. Okay."

"Consider it my apology for being so rude about the coffee the other day."

"Except I was the one not paying attention."

We've got our food and we're on our way. Ahh! Jamocha! Life isn't so bad. Maybe everything will work out.

"So I looked up the Defenestration of Prague." Darcy remembered what I said. How am I going to live this down?

"You did?"

"It was pretty interesting. You know, you really aren't like other young ladies." Is that a compliment or an insult?

"No, I'm not."

I give Darcy directions as we go. As we travel into the West Longbourn area, I can see his expression darken.

"You live in the ghetto?"

"No, not really. Our neighborhood isn't too bad. It's not too far from the ghetto though. We'll drive through some pretty nasty areas. By the way, when you make this next turn, there are usually drug dealers on that corner. They won't bug you. But they will probably make some assumptions about you."

"Assumptions?"

"Since you're white and you're driving a fancy SUV. They'll think that you are down this way to buy drugs."

"Oh."

"It's really not that bad."

"Oh."

"Papa says when he first moved in there were two drug houses on our street, but they've both been torn down. The people who live near us are pretty nice." Dr. Darcy clearly has no clue what to say now. I've already said too much, so I won't say anymore.

Finally, we pull in the driveway. I notice my van isn't there. But Papa's car is. In fact the hood is up and he's working on it. I thank Dr. Darcy for the ride and hop out. He hops out, too.

"Hey, Papa! Was it the timing belt?"

"Yep. I was able to use panty hose in place of the belt to get it home, Now I am replacing the belt, would you give me a hand."

"Way to Macgyver it, Papa!" I am right there beside him, ready to help, "By the way this is Dr. Darcy, Papa. Dr. Darcy this is Tom Bennet."

"Dr. Darcy he the one who told Kitty –"

"That she might not be the baby's real mother." Papa chuckles. I am afraid he was going to bring up the lecture Kitty was given about not being promiscuous. I seem to have deterred him.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Bennet."

"Nice to meet you, too. Though, I am disappointed. I thought for a minute I was going to meet the famous Charlie your Granny has been raving about since yesterday."

"Papa!"

"What? She was sure that with that dress she brought you, you were going to make him swoon or something. You ought to know better than to mention any man to your Granny before you're serious."

"You knew about the dress and you let her bring it? It was awful, Papa. I looked like a slut. Do you really think any decent guy would pay attention to me like that?"

"A decent guy will appreciate you for who you are, not what you're wearing."

"But you have to admit, it totally sends the wrong message." Great now Papa is laughing. I can see Dr. Darcy is blushing.

"I had better be going now. Do you want me to pick up your things when I take the bikes to the Patel's house. I could bring your stuff to the hospital on Monday"

" Sure, thanks again for the ride."

While Papa and I finish up with the car I tell him all about our day. I tell him all the details of the accident, and all my fears. Papa really is a good listener. I know he wants to tell me it will all be okay, but he knows it might not be true. Papa is a good man. One of the hardest working men I know. He works as the janitor at the local high school. He's never graduated anything, but he's super smart. I think of him like Good Will Hunting.

I am so glad when this belt is changed. I head inside and sit on the couch, planning to rest a few minutes before I shower.

"Hello, my lovely Elizabeth!"

Why is Billy Collins in my living room? Why didn't Papa warn me?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Billy Collins is Papa's nephew, so he comes to visit from time to time. I call him my cousin, but he's not really related to me. He's not a bad looking guy, especially now that he's going for the country club look. Until about a year ago, he had this giant fro and wore saggy pants. When I asked him, he told me it was because ladies loved the bad boys. Billy is not a bad boy. I don't know if he's ever broken a rule in his life. I told him he looked like a fool. Truth be told, I actually kind of liked the fro. In my opinion the saggy pants are ridiculous. Papa says that the saggy pants trend was secretly started by police officers so the gangsters would be slower when they run away. He's been saying this for years, but I almost believe it now. Last summer, the police were chasing this young man down the street, and he decided to run into our yard to escape them. The crotch of his pants was around his knees, and he almost got stuck on the fence in our back yard. To my knowledge, that is the only arrest that has happened in our yard.

Anyway, Billy, is sitting on the couch, and I don't know why. I want to know why, but I don't want to talk to him. So I am not going to ask.

"I bet you are wondering why I am here?"

"Care to tell?"

"Mama got a new job."

"So you came to share the good news! Congrats for her!"

"The job is in Chicago."

"So you're moving away?"

"Mama's moving away. I am staying. This is my last semester of college, I've got to stay behind and finish up. Uncle Tom and Aunt Fanny say I can stay here to finish out the semester."

"Did they say where you're going to sleep? There are already nine of us in this three bedroom house."

"Aunt Fanny says your mama isn't around much. I can sleep downstairs."

"Mama bounces in and out as she bounces from guy to guy."

"Well if she comes back, I'll sleep on the couch. Aunt Fanny says that you work five days a week at the University Hospital and that you can give me a ride."

"My Granny said that, did she?" I will kill her.

"Did she tell you that I leave at six AM and don't come home until eight PM? I can't imagine that's the schedule you want. Besides Dr. Patel was just in a terrible accident and he'll probably need to be in the hospital for a long time, and I am going to visit him every day that I work, so it'll probably be nine before we get home. "

"If it means I get to spend extra time with you, it sounds great."

"It does not sound great to me."

"You don't even need to drop me off. I'll just ride with you to the hospital and then I'll walk the rest of the way. I'll give you some gas money too."

"That makes no sense Billy. University students get bus passes for practically free. The bus schedule would surely be more convenient for you, too."

"I think it makes perfect sense."

"Fine! But Kitty still gets to ride shotgun." Why did I just agree to this?

"Did you know that the term shotgun came about from the days of stage coaches, when a person would ride beside the driver holding a shotgun to protect the driver?"

"Yes." It's not that this isn't an interesting piece of trivia it's just that I don't want to talk to Billy.

"I really appreciate you giving me these rides. Could I take you out to dinner to thank you?"

"No."

"Still playing hard to get, I see?"

"I am not playing anything, Billy."

Oh good, the others are home. We don't have to keep having this conversation. I jump up and grab Jake.

"I missed you, buddy! Where've you all been?"

"The salon." Jane and Mary's Aunt Phillipa owns a nail salon. Like Jane and Mary's mama, Aunt Phillipa is a Vietnamese refugee. She's also super sweet and super talkative. On days when the salon isn't busy, she does our nails for free.

"Aunt Phillipa is looking at having hair styling and waxing at the salon too," Kitty pipes up, "She offered me a job, even though I don't have a license yet. She says I can be the receptionist and help with clean-up until I get my license."

"That's awesome Kitty. What hours will you work? What will you do with Jake?"

"I'll probably work one evening a week and Saturdays. She says I can bring Jake and Susy will watch him." Susy is Philippa's twelve-year-old daughter. She's not really old enough to babysit, but since Kitty will be there I think it will be fine.

"Well let me know when you figure out which evening, so I can pick you up at the right place. Will you take the bus to the salon?"

"I'll have to. I am pretty scared about it."

"It'll be fine. Just make sure you sit close to the front. Nobody will bother you if you're right where the driver can see you."

"Hey, Lizzie," Jane interrupted, "Do you want to help fix dinner." No, no I don't. I worked sixty hours this week and just spent all day in the hospital. But I've hardly spent any time with Jane lately. Maybe this will be fun.

"Sure, what are we making?"

"Tacos?"

"Sounds great." I saunter into the kitchen and together we start to work. While I start to cook some lentils, Jane is shredding lettuce.

"So tell me about this Charlie?"

"He's the new intern in the NICU. He's not sure if he wants to be a neonatologist or not, but he definitely wants to work in pediatrics. He's a really friendly guy. We've been eating our lunches together, and it's a lot of fun."

"Is he handsome?"

"I'd say so. He's got curly blond hair and blue eyes. Objectively, I'd say he's attractive."

"No sparks?"

"No, not really."

"Your granny will be so disappointed."

"That's okay, she's already trying to throw Billy at me."

"He's a nice guy."

"He is. But that doesn't mean I want to date him."

"Excuse me, ladies, is there anything I can do to help." Of course, Billy had to walk in while we were talking about him.

"You could shred some cheese." I hand him the large block of cheese.

"Why do you buy such large blocks of cheese?"

"You're an accounting major, I am sure you've heard of economies of scale."

"Of course. And why are you cooking lentils?"

"They're cheap. We'll put taco seasoning in the lentils, and use them instead of meet." Now Billy is crinkling his nose at me so I add, "Are you planning to help with the cooking and the groceries while you're staying here?"

"I hadn't thought of it."

As we continue to prepare dinner, Billy continues to hound us with inane questions. I am irked at him for losing the time with Jane.

We all sit down to supper. I like supper with my family, but not tonight. Billy is yammering about one of his accounting classes, and Granny is trying to extract details about my night out. Papa is sitting by and laughing at me. For a moment, I think about the Patel family meals and I feel a twinge of envy. Then I remember what happened today, and what will never be again.

I notice that despite his initial reaction to the lentils, Billy has eaten several helpings.

"I guess my cooking's not so bad? Hey Billy?" Why did I say that? Now he's going to think I am flirting.

"I assure you, I appreciate your superior culinary skills." What the heck?

"If you'll please excuse me, I need to go lay down." I have to get away from this craziness.

Sunday passes quickly. There is church. A visit to my great grandma in the nursing home. A trip to the park with Jake and Kitty. A long phone call with Char –Dr. Patel is doing as well as can be expected for someone who can't move his arms and legs. By the time Monday comes, I am more exhausted than I was on Friday, and I am really hating that alarm clock.

Our morning routine is much the same as always, only now Billy is there too. I have told him in no uncertain terms that I will not change my schedule for his sake, so if he wants to ride along, he had better be ready. Much to my chagrin, he is ready early. I try to engage Kitty in conversation, but Billy keeps interrupting and steering the conversation back to himself. I really do not want to hear about his actuarial math class or last week's chess club meeting. I love chess, but I don't want to hear about people I don't even know and their chess matches. Unless it's Garry Kasparov or something.

We've dropped Kitty and Jake off, and I've found my spot in the parking garage and we are on our way inside. I have tried to convince Billy to just walk to his own destination, but his classes don't start until later, so he is insisting on walking me in. I am walking extra quickly trying to avoid him, but he is doesn't get it. Then all the sudden, BAM! You guessed it, I have once again run into Dr. Darcy. I am once again covered in caramel smelling coffee.

Dr. Darcy smiles, "Were you contemplating the defenestration of Prague again?"

"No I was actually thinking about Garry Kasparov." He laughs gently, and I laugh harder.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Elizabeth?"

"Sorry, Billy this is Dr. Darcy. Dr. Darcy this is my cousin Billy Collins."

"I am not your cousin."

"How would you like me to introduce you then?"

"As your boyfriend?"

"Billy, you are not my boyfriend!"

"I am not your cousin either."

"Very well, Dr. Darcy, this is My grandmother's husband's sister's son who would like to be my boyfriend but most definitely is not."

"I see why you went with Cousin, Lizzie." Darcy is raising his eyebrows at me.

"I am sorry about your coffee again. Would you like me to get you another?"

"No thanks. Maybe if it happens again. By the way, these are yours." He hands me a bag with all the stuff I left at Char's.

"Thank you. I talked to Char yesterday. I haven't seen any of them since Saturday, though. I'll probably stop in and visit Dr. Patel over my lunch hour."

"Charlie will miss having lunch with you. He's been raving about you almost non-stop."

"Oh. Well I'd better be getting to work. I'll see you around."

I go about my NICU duties as usual. Along with Olive, there are two new babies in my care, a set of twins born eight weeks early. It amazes me that one of the twins is much larger than the other. The twins' mother is determined that her babies only drink breast milk, but she is having trouble producing, so I call down a lactation consultant. Otherwise, their care is pretty straightforward. Olive seems to be doing fairly well today. The night nurse says she had another seizure last night, though. They want to do an MRI, but that is hard to do with such a tiny child.

Charlie is being even friendlier today. He expresses genuine concern about Dr. Patel and his family and offers to accompany me on my visit at lunch. I decline his offer.

Dr. Patel is in generally good spirits when I see him. He is quite bored though; he's been watching TV all morning, but he can't change the channel. I think he feels really embarrassed about not being able to do anything. It really must be awful. I decide that my best bet is to distract him. So I tell him funny stories about Jake, and I give him an amusing impression of cousin Billy. He then responds with some funny stories about the silly things Char and I did when we were younger. Both of us are laughing out loud. Char, who had gone to get herself lunch when I came in, has just returned and she is laughing too. I hug them both before I head back. I can't imagine that I would have enjoyed lunch any more than this if I had been sitting with Charlie in the cafeteria. Friendship is an amazing thing, and laughter really is excellent medicine.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tuesday is not much different from Monday, except that Mrs. Patel is with us at lunch time. And also, Char informs me after lunch that she met Billy in the cafeteria, and ended up eating lunch with him. Dr. and Mrs. Patel now are instructing me that I ought to be spending my lunch dining with at least one of the two young men who wants so much to be with me. Mrs. Patel now forbids me from visiting Dr. Patel at lunch time. I feel doomed.

After lunch, Charlie asks if I will meet him for coffee after work. I tell him no thank you, but offer no reason. Our easy camaraderie seems to have been replaced with awkwardness, but hopefully that will pass.

Wednesday, I try to visit Dr. Patel at lunch time and his wife shoos me down to the cafeteria. Seriously? I suppose I have to face this sometime. I end up sitting at a table with Char, Charlie and Billy. Billy in an attempt to assert some sort of prior claim on me, is telling Charlie about the one date we had. I was sixteen; Billy came with me to the Homeschool Spring Formal. Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie drove us there and stayed to chaperone. We danced, as people do at formal dances. Billy was a terrible dancer. At the end of the evening, I declared the best part of the whole ordeal had been getting ready. According to Billy's retelling, though, we had a smokin' hot date and danced the night away. He also has neglected to mention my foster parent's driving us or the fact that all this happened seven years ago.

"Billy, I think your description of events doesn't match my memories quite correctly?"

"Lizzie, do enlighten us as to your version of events." Charlie wants to know. I try not to be too harsh with Billy as I recall the facts. Charlie is trying to stifle his laughter. He seems to realize that Billy is not a rival. I am really flattered by Charlie's interest in me. Billy's honestly the only guy who's ever taken any notice before. That's right. I am twenty-three years old and have only been on one date let alone been kissed.

Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie think it's best not to kiss a guy until you plan to marry him. That is super old-fashioned, but in a way it's kind of sweet. They were really strict with me as foster parents, but they also showered me with love. I don't agree with everything they teach. When I first moved in with them, I thought they were total weirdos. I didn't really know many other white people at the time, so I thought they acted the way they did because they were white. One time I actually said that Uncle Eddy was "white as mayonnaise"; he sent me to my room for talking that way, but I could hear him laughing from down the hall. Over time I came to respect the Gardiners beyond anything.

Uncle Eddy grew up in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church that had all kinds of strict rules. All games of chance are bad. Any music not found in a hymnal is from the devil. A man's hair should never be long enough to touch his ears. A woman's hair must be at least to her shoulders. Uncle Eddy doesn't practice these things now, but Aunt Maddie does wear long dresses all the time. When I lived with them, I had to wear long dresses too. I got pretty good at climbing trees and riding bikes in a dress.

Another thing about my former foster parents is that they got married believing they should have as many children as God provided. They wouldn't do anything to prevent any babies. When they took me, they were both twenty-two and newly married. They always talked like they would have a dozen children, and Uncle Eddy would talk about how many children they could fit in their house before they would have to move. But they never had any children. They even tried to adopt a couple of times, but both times the adoptions fell through. There were a few other foster kids they took in short term over the years. My sister Kitty lived with them at first too, though mama decided she wanted Kitty back a long time before she wanted me back. Anyway, it's strange how things work out.

By all Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie seem happy with their life. Uncle Eddy is an Electrical Engineer; I don't really understand his job, but he works on designing the controls for weather satellites. He makes good money, but they don't live like they are rich. Aunt Maddie doesn't have a job. When I lived with them, she devoted her time to teaching me. Now, she volunteers for all sorts of good causes: a homeless shelter, a training center for autistic children, a crisis pregnancy center etc. Plus, she opens her home up for neighbor kids. Any given night four or five kids will stop by and eat dinner at the Gardiner's house. Sometimes Aunt Maddie helps with homework; sometimes she just sits and listens. Uncle Eddy fixes the kids bikes, and he also teaches them how to fix their own. Sometimes on the weekends he goes to the homeless shelter and fixes bikes there too.

The Gardiner's live in West Longbourn, not very far from where we live. They've lived there since they first got married. Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie attended a sermon one time where the preacher said that the way to help an inner city neighborhood was to actually live there. They took that to heart. They live in the neighborhood and are friends with all the neighbors. They attend church at the West Longbourn Gospel Chapel, where they are the only white folks. I don't know how much it's changed the neighborhood, but they've had a big impact on a lot of people. Nobody more than me.

"Lizzie, are you still with us?"

"Sorry, Charlie, I was thinking about Aunt Maddie and Uncle Eddy. I haven't seen them in quite awhile. I think I'll call them soon."

"They sound like really special people."

"They are," Char replies, "I bet Dad would love to have them come visit."

"I will see if that can be arranged. Do they have an idea yet of what your Dad's treatment plan will look like and how long he'll be here."

"I expect he'll be here for a couple of weeks. Then the doctors want to send him to a rehab facility, where he'll stay for at least a month."

"Then what?"

"It's hard to say. Mom thinks it's best to go back to India."

"Why?"

"Dad's not ever going to be able to work again, and the cost of living is so much less expensive there. They'd be able to hire servants to live with them to help take care of dad. Plus, the cost of physical therapy is way cheaper, so they could have a therapist there as much as they wanted. Here, the insurance will stop covering therapy after about twenty visits."

"Wow. But what about you, Char?"

"It's hard to say. Living alone in the states goes completely against the lifestyle I've been raised with. However, if I go back, I know it won't be long until Mom is arranging a marriage for me. I really don't want to marry a guy I don't know. Especially since in India, the wife goes to live with her husband's family and becomes part of that family."

"Char, I just don't know what to say. You're life seems to have been flipped upside down, doesn't it?"

"Say you'll come spend the night with me again Friday night."

"My pleasure."

I spend the rest of my afternoon worrying about Char. What is she to do? I was envying her such a short time ago. I don't really understand Indian culture very well, even though Char and I have been friends for so long. I am not ever sure how well Char knows her native culture. At heart I think she's an American, but I doubt she'll give up her family to stay here.

When I drop Kitty off on Thursday morning, she reminds me to pick her up at the salon after work. I am so excited that Kitty is starting her job today.

"Good luck, I know you'll do great."

"Thanks, Lizard."

I am in an ebullient mood as I head into work. Ebullient is a word I learned when I was studying for my SATs it means happy, but if I remember right it comes from the latin root that means bubble. The happiness is bubbling out of me as I think about my little sister starting a new job that has the promise of a real career.

Unfortunately, all of my ebullience is soon eradicated. Almost as soon as I step into the NICU I am told that Olive is having more seizures. Dr. Cheng is finally serious about her getting that MRI he's been talking about.

The MRI ends up showing that Olive is hemorrhaging in her brain. Even though her mom is still really sick, with an infection that has now become systemic, they bring her down to see her daughter. Dr. Cheng tells the parents there is nothing he can do. Olive's grandparents come in too, so they can see their granddaughter one last time. And then Olive's father makes the decision no one ever wants to make. He tells doctor Cheng to pull the life support. There wasn't really a choice. There was no way to ease her pain and suffering. Unfortunately, decisions like this and watching patients dies is part of working in the NICU. I have long since accepted that these difficult moments are worth it because of the joy that comes with helping some babies survive against all the odds.

What I am not prepared for next. Olive's father, Antonio, has been an amazing dad. I have never seen a dad so devoted to his infant. That is part of why I am completely shocked when His in-laws start yelling at him. They are accusing him of murdering his baby. The racket is fearful. The other babies are upset by the screaming. I usher the offending parties out of the NICU. Then I calmly assure Antonio that he made the right choice, that keeping Olive on life support would have only prolonged her misery. Still, I am haunted by this death and by the tears that have happened with this family.

At lunch Charlie, Char, Billy and I are joined by Dr. Darcy. He is the first one to comment on my foul mood.

"I am sorry. I am just broken up about Olive."

"Olive?"

"The baby who died this morning."

"Isn't losing babies part of your work? Aren't you supposed to be adjusted to that now?"

"Are you suggesting that you aren't upset by losing patients?"

"You are right I am. You seem more than upset though." At first I just glare at him. But finally I tell the story about this morning.

"It is totally not Antonio's fault. If anyone were to blame it would be Dr. Tracy."

"Dr. Tracy?"

"Oh, I am sorry Dr. Darcy, I should not speak negatively of one of your colleagues?"

"No, please tell me what you mean."

"Olive's mother, Mindy, was a patient of Dr. Tracy. During the pregnancy she had continual hyperemesis and lost over twenty-five pounds. She was also severely anemic. Dr. Tracy did not do anything. She didn't even prescribe zofran. She should have recognized that Mindy should be sent to a perinatalogist. I don't know for sure if anything could have saved Olive, but I can't help feeling like Dr. Tracy didn't try. And now Mindy and Antonio are going to feel guilty the rest of their lives for not doing more. And there is probably going to be a very long estrangement in their family."

"Thank you for telling me."

While Darcy and I are talking, Charlie puts his arm around my shoulder. It is comforting. Charlie would make a good brother. Billy is now glaring at Charlie. Charlie is completely unaware of Billy's anger, but Darcy notices. He looks at Billy then he looks at Charlie. Lastly he looks at me and raises an eyebrow. I give him a smile in response.

Later in the afternoon, Charlie brings me a jamocha shake from Arby's.

"I heard you sometimes like to have one of these when you have a bad day."

"You heard correctly." Did Darcy tell him? He must have. Is Darcy trying to help Charlie pursue me? There is a queer feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about this new development.

By the time my shift finally ends, I am in a cheerful mood again. Not ebullient, that would be too much to ask. I find Billy and together we head to the salon. Kitty is effusive about her first day on the job. Even though she was doing mundane tasks she had a terrific time. She is also excited about the prospect of getting her first paycheck in a couple of weeks. There is something sweet about earning your own money.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

While Kitty tells the rest of the family about her wonderful first day on the job, I read a bedtime story to Jake. I pick a story about farm animals. I bet he would like to go to a real farm. As least I should take him to see the farm animals at the zoo. Then he can pet the goats while they try to eat our clothing. Jake really likes this book. He points to the animals on each page and says "Kitty." I gently correct him each time "No, J, that's a goat." "No, J, that's a horse."

Kitty comes in the room and finds us. Jake points to her, "Kitty!" And I say, "No, J, that's Mama. I can call her Kitty but you call her mama."

Kitty looks as me, and speaks, "You're as much his mama as me, even if you're just the auntie!"

"Kitty, I hope you don't feel like I'm stepping on your toes. I only want to help. I want to do what's best for both of you."

"I'm not mad Lizzie. Sometimes I'm so mad that this happened to me, but sometimes I am convinced it's the best thing that ever happened to me." I pull Kitty close into a hug.

"Jason Smith is an evil man. What he did to you was wrong. But Jake is amazing. Feel thankful for your son doesn't make you a willing participant in what happened. You don't have to feel guilty because you love Jake!" Jason Smith is Jake's dad. When Kitty was fifteen she participated in the cross-city youth program that was supposed to bring together youth from a variety of backgrounds. Jason was nineteen years old and a volunteer leader. Kitty was a big flirt then, and she flirted with Jason a lot. One day after the program, Jason offered her a ride. She trusted him and accepted, but he didn't take her home. At first when he kissed her, Kitty was really excited. But when he started to do more, she told him to stop. He refused. He told her that she he knew she wanted it because of the way she dressed and the way she acted.

When Kitty came home that day, I took her to the hospital and called the police. Jason lied and said it was consensual. He also said he didn't know how young Kitty was. Jason ended up getting away with only probation and community service. It was her word against his, and I guess he seemed more trustworthy.

"I sometimes think he should have a better Mama than me."

"You are going to be a much better Mama than our mama is."

"I don't understand the way our mama is. I can hardly stand to be around guys at all anymore. She is flinging herself at men all the time. She always has a different boyfriend."

"I'd be lying if I said I understood mama. I guess circumstances affect people differently. Besides if she'd reacted the same way you did, I wouldn't have you baby sis."

I look down and see that Jake has fallen asleep there between us. I carefully put him in bed, not bothering to change him into pajamas.

I don't sleep much that night. There is too much weighing on my mind. I am thinking about Kitty and how hard it has been for her to recover from her circumstances. I am thinking about Dr. Patel and about Char, and the big decisions they have to make. And I am thinking about Olive and her family and the terrible night they must be having.

Finally, my thoughts turn milder. I wonder about Charlie, but I don't think about him for long. No, my thoughts have turned to his dark-haired friend. The friend I have had a crush on for years. I think about his short dark brown hair and green eyes. I think about how tall he is, and how short I feel when I stand beside him. I don't know exactly how tall that is, 6'4" maybe? And I think about his coloring. My skin is like chocolate, Jane's is like caramel, Uncle Eddy's is like mayonnaise. What is it with my food analogies? I am trying to think of something that compares to Dr. Darcy. He always seems a little tan. He doesn't seem like the type of guy who would fake-bake. So he probably looks tan because he can afford to take vacations in sunny places. But I still don't have a word to describe tanned-mayonnaise. Which sounds like a pretty disgusting condiment actually.

Why can't I push this crush aside? I know it's silly. He's too old for me. Is he though? I mean, when I met him I was sixteen and he was twenty-four. He was definitely too old for me then. But now I'm twenty-three and he's thirty-one. If I use the half plus seven rule, it works. Now could I ever get him to notice me? Would he ever want to be with someone like me? Do I even know who he really is? I know that I want to.

On the drive downtown, Kitty and I are listening to Billy talk about how accounting is a wonderful profession and how he is sure to find an excellent position as an accountant after he graduates. He then tells me that he will be good husband material once he has a good career started. I know I shouldn't but I laugh at him.

Midway through the morning Dr. Darcy comes in to talk to Dr. Cheng about a new patient we can expect within the next few weeks. Dr. Darcy discovered via ultrasound, that this baby boy has many medical issues, most significantly, many of his internal organs are not internal at all. Dr. Cheng tasks Charlie with the job of creating a plan for how to handle this baby. It's a gigantic task for an intern; especially a relatively new intern. I know Dr. Cheng well enough to know that he is testing Charlie, that he expects failure, and that he will have his own plan in place. Dr. Cheng likes to give new interns difficult tasks in order to humble them. Charlie isn't like other medical interns, though, he is already incredibly humble and I am afraid that this task will put him over the edge.

At lunch Charlie asks me if we've ever had another case like this one. I tell him about a little girl who was born in similar circumstances. I talked about the surgeries she went through and the treatment she received. Charlie nods, but still looks terrified.

"Would you mind helping me do research for this plan?"

"Not at all, when would you like to meet?"

"Sometime this weekend maybe?"

"Well, I am spending tonight at the Patels, but I should be free tomorrow afternoon or evening. We could meet at the university library." Should I agree to this? Is it reasonable for him to want my help?

"Sure, would you let me take you to dinner afterwards? As a thank you?"

"Don't thank me yet. You don't know how the results will be. Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass on dinner."

Darcy who has been sitting with us silently for this entire exchange is now raising an eyebrow at me, questioningly. But what is he questioning? That I am helping Charlie? That I am not going out to dinner with Charlie?

The rest of the afternoon, I can't stop thinking about Darcy's raised eyebrow, but when seven o'clock rolls around I find plenty to distract myself. First, I venture to Mindy's hospital room, I want to see how she and Antonio are holding up after the loss of Olive. Antonio, who spend so many days at his daughter's bedside is now sitting in the chair beside his wife. Mindy is sleeping; Antonio is sitting silently holding a rosary. His lips are moving, but no sound comes out. I don't really understand the rosary. I think it has something to do with praying to the Virgin Mary. Uncle Eddy might think this is idolatry, but the only thing that comes to my mind is "The prayers of all good people are good." I think that's a quote from Willa Cather, maybe from My Antonia. I don't really remember the book, but that idea has stuck with me. I am about to turn around and leave so that I don't disturb Antonio, but he sees me.

"Please don't go yet. I was just praying for her."

"For your wife."

"For Olive. For her soul. I know she was baptized, so we can trust she will be in Heaven."

"Then why do you pray for her?" Why would you pray for someone who is already dead?

"Purgatory."

"I'm not Catholic, and I don't really understand these things. But I know that God is good, and I will pray for all of you."

"Thank you. Will you come to the funeral?" I have never been to a funeral of a patient who died before. I have also never been asked.

"If you would like me, too. When is it?"

"Tuesday afternoon. They expect Mindy to be discharged tomorrow."

"I am glad your wife is doing so much better. If I can find someone to cover my shift, I will definitely come." I've never been to a Catholic mass before either. I wonder what a funeral mass is like. Will I be able to understand what is happening?

"Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome. I'll see you on Tuesday if not before."

With that I walk to Dr. Patel's room. Since I haven't been eating lunch with him, I want to visit before I leave. I come into the room and see Mrs. Patel sitting beside the bed holding her husband's hand.

"I just wanted to stop by and seeing you before I go to your house."

"I'm glad you're here, but I am sure Char is impatient to see you. Naresh and Maria are there as well. She picked them up at the airport this afternoon." As he's speaking, I notice they have another visitor standing to the side. Dr. Darcy.

"Hello, Lizzie."

"Hello Dr. Darcy."

"Darcy was just telling us that they've decided his car is totaled. He also said the police have had no luck tracking this Wickham fellow."

"I am sorry to hear that. I hope your pink dice were at least salvageable?" Now he's gone pale. Those dice must be important to him.

"I will have to call back and see if I can get them back. It had slipped my mind."

"They must be pretty important to you."

"A gift from my sister." Darcy looks uncomfortable when he says this.

"Ah."

"You must love your sister a great deal."

"More than you could imagine."

"I have a pretty good imagination, Dr. Darcy, and I have a sister. But either way, your love for your sister is admirable." Now he is blushing. I have made the great Fitzwilliam Darcy blush. I like this look. I think I would like to repeat it. But not today, not with the Patels.

"Thank you."

"Well I better be going. I just wanted to say hi, but I am sure Char is impatient for me." I hug Dr. and Mrs. Patel. I want to hug Dr. Darcy, but we are definitely not on hugging terms yet. So I wave to him, and tell him I'll see him Monday.

It is strange to be leaving work all by myself and driving in silence. I am so thankful that Kitty was willing to ride the bus home. I think she felt pretty proud of herself for getting over her fear yesterday. Billy seemed put out to have to ride the bus home. He even suggested that I should let him accompany him to the Patel's. I hope he saw the daggers I was shooting him with my eyes at that suggestion.

At the Patels house, Char and her siblings have just started a movie. It's a Bollywood blockbuster with lots of singing and dancing. The plot is that a boy and a girl fall in love, but because of circumstances the boy has to choose between his family and the woman he loves. He makes what is clearly presented as the right choice and picks his family. Somehow he ends up with the girl anyway. I cannot imagine an American movie with this message.

As the movie ends Maria speaks up, "I think I am going to go back to India with Mom and Dad."

Maria Patel is a sweet shy girl. She doesn't make friends easily, but she seems a lot more confident than she was before she left for college. She is also the youngest of the Patel children, and the only one born in the United States. As such, she can go to India and know that she will always be allowed to come back.

"What about college?" Char asks.

"I can finish my education in India."

"You don't have to go. I can look after you here." This time it is Naresh speaking. He has obviously decided to stay in the U.S.

"You could. But I think mom will need my company. Even if they can have servants, it won't be the same. I should be able to stay with mom and dad for a few years before they try to arrange a marriage for me." Char laughs.

"Whereas if I go, they'll be trying to marry me off right away. I am twenty-seven, after all"

"Will you let them arrange a marriage?" I ask. Maria shakes her head.

"I don't think so. If they try I can also come back here. Although, if I like the Indian way of life maybe I'll decide to stay." I realize as she says this that the Indian way of life is not her way of life at all. Some Indian traditions are hers of course, because of her family. She is giving up almost everything she knows for the sake of her family.

A week ago, I was aware how different my friend's life was than my own. Then I was absolutely convinced that she had it better than I did. Now I can see that our lives are very different, but I've realized that it one life is not better than the other; we've both got our own challenges to face.

As I lay in bed at night, I am thinking about love. I have seen love displayed so many ways today. Antonio's love for Olive. Darcy's love for his sister. Maria's love for her parents. I drift off to sleep with a sense of peace; there is a lot wrong with the world, but at least there is love.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

On Saturday morning I awake early with the smell of spices beckoning me to the kitchen. There I find Mrs. Patel preparing far more food than five people could possibly eat at breakfast. When I ask the reason, she confesses that she plans to spend the entire day at the hospital with her husband, and therefore she will make sure that both breakfast and lunch are fixed before she leaves.

"I can see now why Maria is set on going to India with you. I do not believe I could bear to be parted from a mother who would insist on preparing three meals for me every day."

"Maria has not told me she plans to come with us. When I last asked, she was undecided."

"Well, she told us last night that she is going. I know it will still be several weeks at least, but I know I will miss you guys terribly."

"Then you will have to come visit us in India."

"Maybe I will. Do you know where you will be living in India?"

"My husband's family live in the village of Shamshabad. We will live with them. Families live together in India. Your family's situation with so many people in one house is not at all unusual there. In fact, in poorer families, sometimes more than twenty people will share three rooms."

"I tend to think of my family as poor. I suppose that is relative."

"Poverty in America is not like the poverty in India. More than two thirds of the people in India live on less than two dollars per day."

"I had no idea."

"So when we hire servants for a decent wage, we will be materially improving the lives of a lot of people."

"How can people live on so little?"

"Many people live in small spaces. They eat mostly rice. They have little clothing. Running water is not accessible in all places."

"Was that what you came from?

"Oh no. My family was wealthy. I did not see the poverty at all until I was a young adult. My parents kept me sheltered."

"Is Dr. Patel's family wealthy too?"

"By Indian standards, very much so. Our families were well acquainted with one another all our lives. In childhood we were playmates. His lifestyle and mine were much the same. He would not have been able to go to medical school if that were not so."

"How old were you when your parents' arranged your marriage."

"I was 14."

"That is very young."

"It is. But I already was well acquainted with my new family."

"If Char comes back to India, and you arrange a marriage, she will be marrying a complete stranger." This is apparently not the right thing to say, because Mrs. Patel immediately changes the subject.

"I hear you are meeting with this Charlie this afternoon for a study date."

"Not exactly a date, I am helping him with a report for Dr. Cheng."

"But I bet there will be lots of flirting?"

"I hope not. Would you like me to peel the potatoes?" She agreed, and we spent the next hour working together in the kitchen. We talked of many other subjects but none of importance.

At breakfast, I asked Maria and Naresh to tell me about their lives at college. Maria shared a little bit, but Naresh seemed most eager to regale us with all sorts of stories. There were stories of exploding cheez-wiz, of baking auto-parts in the dorm kitchen –hopefully nobody tries to actually cook in there, of playing sardines in the classroom building.

"And then there was the time we made a mini golf course in the lobby."

"How did you manage that?"

"We pilfered dishes and utensils and such from the dining hall to create obstacles with."

"And no one noticed?"

"We each took just a couple things at a time. People do that all the time so they can eat dinner in their rooms. We also used lots of duct tape."

"And was your gold course successful?"

"We had a lot of fun?"

"So, Naresh," I teased, "How many of these exploits were aided with the consumption of alcoholic beverages?"

"Suprisingly, few."

"Truly?"

"That's right," Maria chimed in, "Naresh is no frat boy. His friends are total geeks."

"Total geeks who know how to have a lot of fun from the sounds of it." I defend.

"And I totally belong to a fraternity."

"You do?"

"That's right, my brother belongs to a chemistry fraternity. I don't think that really counts."

"Do you have a secret handshake and super secret initiation rituals?" Naresh stares ahead with a deer in the headlights look.

"Apparently you do. So it totally counts as a fraternity. Not like the ones I joined. I joined an organization that called itself a fraternity, but it was really just something for people with good grades to put on a resume."

"Hey, resumes are important, too." Char is finally contributing to the conversation. She had joined the same "fraternity" I had.

"Well, thankfully, a Chemistry fraternity looks good on a resume too."

After this, Naresh brings up the subject I have avidly avoided discussing. The accident.

"Lizzie, please tell us what you saw at Dad's accident. Char was so shocked by it all that she doesn't seem to realize what happened." I share my story, including as much detail as I can. The loud screeching noise. Watching the blond man run away. Seeing Dr. Patel on the ground under the car. Finding his phone and calling for help. The pink fuzzy dice. Calling Dr. Darcy.

Naresh is less than satisfied with my report, but he doesn't blame me for not knowing more. Mrs. Patel, however, is chuckling.

"What is so funny, I ask."

"I see why you don't want to flirt with Charlie?"

"Oh?" How does she know this? I certainly haven't said anything incriminating.

"Your tone of voice when you say his name gives you away. Don't worry. Dr. Darcy is a good man." I can already see scheming in her eyes. I do not know whether to feel happy or terrified. I think I will feel both.

At that point almost everybody has finished eating, so Char and I offer to clean up so the others can head to the hospital directly. While we clean up, Char and I chat happily, until I accidentally fling some soapy dishwater at her. Giggling, she runs over to the sink grabs the sprayer and sprays me in retaliation. I grab hold of a wooden spoon, dip it in the bubbles and fling them at her. Then we look at each other and burst out laughing. When I see how wet and soapy the floor is, I point it out to Char. She shrugs.

"Well, Lizzie, there's only one thing to do now."

"Mop up the mess?"

"Go skating!" With that she slides across the soapy mess. I follow suit. We continue until we are both breathless, then we finally clean up the mess.

"Thanks, Lizzie, I needed that."

"Anytime."

"Would you mind helping me with something else?"

"What?"

"Help me sort through my stuff. I don't want to have to deal with it all at once when I move."

"Oh, no. You haven't decided to go with your parents have you?"

"I don't know what I am going to do. But I know Mom and Dad are going to be selling this house, so I will be moving either way."

Sorting through Char's things is more fun than I would have guessed. I haven't known Char my whole life, but we've been friends so long that an awful lot of her memories are my memories too. We look through her scrapbooks before we box them up. Then she pulls down her trophies from a shelf. She puts the trophy she earned for Latin Oratory and the one from her middle school math competition into the box with the scrapbook. But she tosses all the soccer trophies into the trash. I can't understand why; Char has always loved soccer.

"Are academic trophies more valuable than athletic trophies?"

"Trophies that you win are more valuable than trophies everyone on the team gets. These trophies look nice, but they aren't commemorating anything special. I can get just as many happy memories looking at team photos."

"Speaking of team photos," I hold one up, "You were especially cute in this one." Char was seven years old, her hair was in pigtails, and there was a big smudge of dirt across her forehead.

"I think that was the first team I played on. That was the year we first came here. Now I can't imagine living anywhere else." She sighs.

"You'll figure something out."

I happen to glance at the clock and realize that it is almost time for me to meet Charlie. I send him a quick text to let him know I am running late, and I suggest he start the research without me. Then I gather up my stuff and t ready to go. Before leaving I give my best friend a hug.

"See you at work Monday!" She calls out as I hop into my van, "And try not to spill any coffee." I laugh, and I firmly resolve that I will not.

When I arrive at the Library I find Charlie seated at a table with a laptop open and some medical journals beside him.

"What have you found so far?" He shows me his notes.

"Not much really. It's hard to know where to start."

"I assume you've been looking for similar cases to see how they were handled."

"I haven't found much."

"Is there a particular name for the condition of having one's internal organs externally."

"External internal organs, what an oxymoron. And the term is omphalocele." I know this is a dreadfully serious condition, and that a child's life might be hanging in the balance; still, I cannot help thinking of Oompa Loompas. I, of course, do not tell this to Charlie. Instead, I ask him a variety of questions: What surgeries are normally performed? What short term complications tend to arise? What long term complications? What are the other risk factors? Are there ways the common complications can be avoided? Is there a typical timeline for when the surgeries occur?

He writes down my questions and then begins to search for answers. After a little over an hour, he has a rough outline for his report. When I tell Charlie it is time for me to be going, he seems disappointed. He asks if I'd like to grab some coffee with him. This guy is nothing if not persistent. I wonder how long it will take for Charlie to lose interest in me; I hope it happens soon so that I can just relax and be his friend.

After my meeting with Charlie, I head to the salon. Kitty won't doesn't need me to pick her up, she's become comfortable with the bus, and she doesn't get off for a couple of hours anyway. I'm here because I want to talk to Aunt Phillipa.

Phillipa Nguyen, as well as a successful business woman, is also an incredibly friendly person with a bubbly personality. She is also an incredible gossip, who always seems to know everybody's business and is always sharing her information with everybody else. She isn't mean or spiteful in her gossiping; she just can't seem to resist telling everyone everything she knows and also everything she conjectures. I love her but I also think she is rather silly. My reason for wanting to talk to Aunt Phillipa isn't because I am dying for gossip though; Aunt Phillipa is Catholic, and I want to ask her advice about attending Olive's funeral.

When I come in, Aunt Phillipa looks at me and proclaims, "Lizzie, it is so good to see you again. You do not come here for too long. You want a manicure today." It is not a question, really. I nod.

I sit in the seat she points at, and she sits across from me.

"Your nails are awful. And your cuticles. You need to take better care of these hands."

"Maybe now that Kitty is working here I will."

"Now tell me about this Charlie. Your Granny was so excited about him."

"Her excitement is misplaced. I am not dating Charlie, and I do not plan on doing so."

"But your Granny said –"

"I've spent quite a bit of time with Charlie. He's nice and friendly. I just don't want to date him."

"How disappointing. So how is your work going?"

"For the most part it's going well. It can be stressful sometimes, especially since some of the babies have major health issues and there's not much we can do. On the other hand, we have the chance to save the lives of babies who would otherwise not survive. There was a particular little one that passed this week that was pretty upsetting."

"This baby was there for a long time maybe?"

"Not particularly, but I did have a lot of time to get to know the family. They've asked me to go to Olive's funeral."

"Will you go?"

"I plan to go. I am nervous about it though. They are Catholic and I've never been to a Catholic mass, let alone a Catholic funeral service. Can you tell me what it's like?"

"The central part of a Catholic mass is communion. We believe the bread and wine and actually the blood and body of Christ. When we take communion we are actually taking Christ inside of us." We take communion at my church, but this is different. For us it's an act of remembrance. I can't help imagining a Catholic scientist attempting to find the DNA of Christ from a communion wafer. I nod to aunt Phillipa to show I've heard what she said.

"You won't be able to take communion. Only Catholics can take communion in a Catholic church. So you can just stay sitting during this time. There will also be readings of scripture and songs. And the priest will give a sermon, we call that a homily. If you don't know what to do, you can just sit still in the pew. No one will be offended."

"I think I will follow that advice. I think I will also try to sit in the back."

"Sometimes the church can seem intimidating. Depending on which church you are at, the décor can be quite ornate. There are usually many statues and such. But these are not necessary. In Vietnam, we didn't have church buildings and our services were not fancy."

"You did not have church buildings?"

"The government made the churches illegal, so we had to meet in secret. I remember a few times they could not get communion wafers or wine. We took communion with grape soda and chips. Since it was blessed by a priest, it still had the same spirit to us. We were still having God with us. So don't worry about the service too much."

I don't speak in response, but after a few minutes Aunt Phillipa says more, "It really bothered me when my sister Martha left the Catholic Church. I blamed Tom at the time. I thought she was leaving her faith behind so she could marry him. I understand a little better now that she never adjusted to formality of Catholic worship. She preferred to attend church with Tom because it was more like what she was used to, simpler."

"You didn't approve of your sister marrying Papa did you?"

"No at first I didn't. He had dropped out of school and he didn't seem to have much to recommend him. Besides, she wasn't like me. She was quiet and reserved and not someone to go on and on about her love. Since she didn't love like me, I thought she didn't really love. I was convinced that she was marrying him so that it would easier for to become an American Citizen."

"You were wrong?"

"Yes. They loved each other very much. They made an unusual pair. Martha was very different from your Granny. It seems odd that Tom could have two very happy marriages with two very different women. I am certainly glad that he married my sister and gave me two lovely nieces then he married your granny and gave me two more." I can't resist the urge to get up and give her a hug. She scolds me, since she is sure I will mess up the nail polish she has so carefully applied.

By the end of my conversation with Aunt Phillipa, I am aware that I have seriously misjudged my aunt. She may be silly and gossipy sometimes, but there is obviously a lot more to her than that. Maybe next time I see her, I will ask more about her life in Vietnam and find out about how her family escaped.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

This Monday I am not going to run into Dr. Darcy and spill his coffee on the way into the hospital. I am absolutely determined it will not happen. The whole drive downtown, Billy is rambling about compound interest or some such, and I am not even pretending to listen. All I am thinking is that I will not run into Dr. Darcy.

Billy is walking beside me into the hospital. It really is a chivalrous thing for him to walk me in. If he was someone I wanted to date, I am sure I would find his attention charming. As he is not, I do not. I really am being rather rude by not paying attention to him, but I can't I have more important things on my mind.

As we come to the place where the past two weeks collisions occurred, I look up and see Him approaching. I will not run into him, and I quickly step to the side. Unfortunately, I do not shout a warning, and Darcy does not look up. BAM! He runs straight into Billy. I cannot help it. I am laughing so loudly my belly hurts.

Now Darcy seems to think I have planned this collision. I assure him that I have not. Again, I offer to replace his coffee, again he rejects the offer. He is certainly in a bad mood.

Once in the NICU, I learn that we have a new patient. The baby was born full-term and is only expected to be here a short time; he is here because of the trauma of a prolonged labor. The mother was in hard labor for 36 hours with little progress. Then the shift changed, Dr. Tracy left and Dr. Darcy took over. From what the mother says, the doctor was able to very quickly asses that her hip structure would not allow the baby to fit through. His exact words, "You have as much chance of delivering this baby vaginally as I do." This was just about all he said before having the mother immediately prepped for a c-section. It's a good thing the shift changed when it did because I am not sure how much longer this little guy could have handled. I am so mad at Dr. Tracy that I would like to rip her head off; first Olive, now this.

Thankfully, before I am able to act on my anger, Dr. Cheng arrives with his gang of underlings. After making their usual rounds, Dr. Cheng asks Charlie if he is ready to present his findings about the new case. Although it's not needed, I choose to listen to the report. I am impressed by how thorough it is and how Charlie seems to have covered the situation from so many angles and has so many contingencies in place. Dr. Cheng is also very impressed; I know this because all he says to Charlie afterward is "Good" which is extremely high praise from him.

At lunch today, I notice that Billy is once again seeking to impress with a detailed account of something no one who is not an accountant can understand. I tend to think of myself as an intelligent being, but I am lost. I notice; however, that Char is practically hanging off Billy's every word. Has she developed a sudden interest in accounting? I also notice that Dr. Darcy is paying a great deal of attention to Billy's words. I am not sure why Dr. Darcy sits by us, he is silent most of the time, but Billy is certainly happy to have him listening.

Normally, I would have struck up a conversation with Charlie, but I am kind of trying to ignore him. I won't be rude, I do like the guy. I just don't like him how he wants me to.

Tuesday, I've take the whole day off work so I can attend Olive's funeral in the afternoon. My Soviet Missile Warning alarm clock has been turned off since I don't have to wake up early. My body defies me, and I am awake. I help Kitty get Jake ready and I make some pancakes as I putz around the house in my pajamas. I have so much more freedom now that Kitty is willing to ride the bus. Before, I would have needed to drive her to class early.

After Kitty and Jake depart, I decide to do some laundry. Since there isn't enough in the hamper for a full load, I wander into Mary and Jane's room to see if there is anything they want me to wash. I find Mary sitting on the bed rocking back and forth. She does that when she's upset.

"Mary, what's wrong."

"Fanny doesn't like me."

"What do you mean, I know my Granny likes you?" She just doesn't understand you.

"She's been nagging at me to dress nicely. She said people will like me if I look nice." Mary is super sensitive about the way her clothing feels. If anything is hard or scratchy at all she won't wear it. Instead she wears yoga pants and t-shirts almost all the time. Since she's a college student, this is hardly abnormal.

"I am sure she just means that the way you dress affects people's initial impression of you." Does she really mean that? I hope so.

"But Fanny said –"

"I know. But let's not think about that. You and I have some shopping to do."

"Not you too, Lizzie. I am not buying new clothes today."

"Who said anything about clothes? I am going to Higgins Brothers." Higgin's Brothers is a terrific used bookstore, and one of my favorite places to go. I hadn't actually planned to go today, but it seems like a good way to spend time with Mary.

She quickly agrees to come with me, even though she has no money to spend. I wonder if she finds the smell of books as addictive and intoxicating as I do.

When we step into the bookstore, I automatically feel less stressed. It is as though the books are crying out to me to be read. I head over the section full of books from the early 1800s. For some reason I find literature from this time period fascinating. It's not that I have some whimsical desire to go back to that time. Let's face it, life wasn't good for my ancestors then. As far as I know, all of them were slaves. Still, a lot of interesting social changes happened then, and it makes the writing interesting to read.

I spy a lush looking set of _The Complete Works of Jonathan Swift_. To volumes are missing. It is the incomplete, complete works of swift. I laugh to myself as I pull down the first volume.

"Swift? Interesting choice, have you read many of his writings?" I recognize that voice, but still I am in shock. I turn to see Dr. Darcy standing before me in blue jeans and a t-shirt. He's even wearing glasses and has stubble on his face. I know this is the dressed down version, so why is it so compelling. I am discombulated, and I find myself speechless.

Darcy does not speak again, so there is silence until I regather my wits. "Actually I've only read _Gulliver's Travels _and _A Modest Proposal_."

"Is _A Modest Proposal_ the one where he suggests eating babies is the solution to the famine in Ireland?"

"Yes. I imagine it was quite the shocking read at the time."

"His satire has often been misunderstood."

"As is true with most satire. I actually wrote an essay in college comparing _A Modest Proposal_ with _Animal Farm_ and the biblical story of Jonah. Three satires from three very different time periods."

"Jonah as satire? I've never heard it referred to as such."

"Have you read the story as an adult?"

"Actually, I have not. I remember the basic story from Sunday school as a child. Jonah doesn't do what God wants; Jonah gets swallowed by a whale."

"There's a lot more to the story than that. I'd explain it, but I think it's a lot better if you read it yourself."

"In any case, that sounds like a daring topic for an essay. Did it do well?"

"I'd say so. The professor not only gave it an A, she submitted it into a competition and I won a $250 prize."

"In that case, I'd like to read this essay sometime if you'll let me."

"Only after you've read or re-read all three of the pieces it discusses."

"Very well."

"So I see you're carrying A Narrative of the Life of Davy Crockett. I really enjoyed that book. The first part is super interesting as he discusses his boyhood. The later parts are sometimes dry as he goes off on some long political rants. Although those are enlightening too. I tend to think our country would be better off if Davy'd been elected to a few more terms of congress."

"Davy Crockett was a congressman?"

"Yes, from Tennessee. I believe he actually showed up to his first session of Congress in a leather jerkin and coonskin cap. He has a staunch opponent of Andrew Jackson. He especially opposed Jackson's treatment of the Indians. In that book he makes a special point of talking about many of the different Indians who helped him and helped his soldiers. He does so to make a clear point that Jackson's actions are very much wrong-headed."

"I think you have just convinced me to buy this book. So what are you doing in here today anyway?" I bristle a little.

"Shopping for books obviously." He looks confused.

"No I meant, that I was surprised you weren't working today. I have the day off since I was one call last weekend."

"I've taken the day off so I can go to Olive's funeral today."

"The baby who died last week?" I can remember his surprise at how upset I was that day. What will he think of me going to the funeral?

"Yes."

"Do you think I could come too?" This is definitely not the reaction I expected.  
"I don't see why not. Though I am not sure why you want to."

"I think I might be able to offer some comfort to the grieving parents. I can give them my assurances as a doctor that they made the right decision."

We then discuss details of the time and place of the funeral, when Mary walks up to us.

"Lizzie, are you almost ready to go? I am hungry for lunch."

"Would you like to have lunch together? There's a great Mexican place right up the street." I look at Mary, she looks very uncertain. I want to accept, but should I.

"What do you think Mary? I know you didn't bring any money along, but I'll be happy to pay for your lunch today." Mary nods.

"We'd love to come with you. By the way, I should probably make introductions, Dr. Darcy this is my aunt Mary, Mary this is Fitzwilliam Darcy."

"Your aunt?"

"Yes." His eyebrows are raised quizzically.

At lunch, in order to start a conversation, I ask Mary if she saw any particularly interesting books this morning. She mentions a book on cryptography and continues on for awhile on that subject. Then she mentions that when she was done looking at the book she new to find me in my favorite section.

Darcy states, "I find that young ladies often idealize that time period and find it rather romantic. Is that your notion Lizzie?"

"Oh yes, I find the idea of being someone's property and working long days in a cotton field to be incredibly romantic." I stop and scrutinize Darcy's face. He looks uncomfortable, but why does he not apologize for his comment?

"And I do not think I would like to wear a corset?" Mary adds.

"I suppose that was not the best time period for women and minorities."

"Indeed."

From there, the conversation moved on to other topics, with Mary and I doing most of the talking. I couldn't really complain, since spending time with Mary was my main objective for coming out this morning.

Finally, I announced that we needed to be going so I could drop Mary off in time for her class.

"So, I guess I'll see you at the church?"

"Actually, Lizzie, I was hoping we could go together. It would feel less awkward since I don't know anyone."

"If you'd loan me the van, you guys could go together now. At least as long as Darcy doesn't mind driving you home later." Mary speaks and Darcy nods in agreement.

"Do you not need to go home and change? I certainly do." I of course do not tell him that he looks even more attractive in his more casual attire.

"I brought my clothes with me; I wasn't planning to go home first."

"Then you can get ready at my house, while I'm getting ready." Do I really want to do this? Is this a good idea? Do I trust Dr. Darcy? I have no reason not to trust him. So I agree.

And this is how I find myself riding in Darcy's car on the way to his house for the first time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I left my laptop sitting out the other day, and my two year old found and deleted a large portion of this story replacing it with random letters. I apologize for the delay in posting which resulted. I wrote this chapter in third person past tense instead of first person present, what do you think? Should I continue third person, or return to first? **

Chapter 10

As Darcy drove away from the restaurant, he noted to Lizzie, "Your aunt Mary is rather unique."

Lizzie immediately bristled, feeling defensive of her autistic aunt. She felt particularly annoyed that Darcy could make such a comment as to her recollection Mary's behavior had not been unusual. It did not occur to Lizzie that Darcy might merely be commenting on the singularity of a twenty-year-old girl being interested in cryptography.

After stewing in silence for some time, Lizzie finally spoke, "Are we not all unique? Like snowflakes no two people are the same."

"Perhaps you are right. Each of us is one of a kind. Charlie certainly likes to tell me that there is no one else like you, that you are one of a kind."

"Do you disagree?" For a long while Darcy said nothing, while Lizzie assumed the worst.

"How could I disagree? There are certainly no other ladies of my acquaintance who contemplate the Defenestration of Prague before seven AM on a Monday morning." Lizzie laughed.

"Does Charlie speak of me so very often?"

"Since the day he met, he has spoken of little else. He speaks of his work, of course, but somehow that always comes back to you. Dr. Cheng speaks very highly of Charlie, says he is one of the best interns he's ever worked with. He was especially impressed with the report Charlie gave yesterday."

"Dr. Cheng never praises anyone!"

"I know. So I asked Charlie about it. He said it was all you."

"He highly exaggerates my contributions. All I did was ask questions to help him focus his thinking on the topic. It's not as though I did any of the research."

"Like Socrates?"

"Hopefully there is no hemlock in my future. Seriously, though, I am sure that memorization and familiarization with various diseases and conditions is an important part of being a good doctor. I expect that being able to observe carefully and ask the right questions is even more important. No doctor can memorize everything."

"You have a great deal of familiarity with the conditions common to newborns. Charlie says that you almost instantly know how to handle any situation that arises in the NICU."

"For the common conditions, yes. Experience has been an excellent teacher. Most medical situations in a hospital are handled by nurses, as I'm sure you know."

"Perhaps, but there are many nurses who are not capable of thinking beyond the doctors direct orders."

"And there are many doctors who misdiagnosis any illness that is not a textbook example."

"You would not be that sort of doctor. You would be an excellent doctor, have you considered it?"

"Thank you for the compliment, but I believe I have clearly explained that I do not wish to be a doctor. So please do not try to persuade me otherwise." Lizzie was overwhelmed with both anger and hurt. She had once confessed to Darcy her dearest dreams for the future. He had then seemed to accept and appreciate her desires, but now either he had forgotten or had decided her dream was not worthwhile.

Darcy, for his part, was aware that he had angered his companion, but for the life of him, he could not say how. Nor could he recall ever having discussed with Lizzie Bennet any part of her future career plans. Perhaps such a discussion had happened at the lunch table while he was not paying attention? Thus he had no response, and their silence was unbroken until they arrived at his home.

"This is your house?" This was not a house; it was a mansion –a palace even. Although Lizzie had seen fancy homes before, and had friends whose lifestyles were well above her own, she had never been to visit anyone in a home comparable to this one. Her immediate reaction was awe, but it was soon usurped by a mixture of envy and disgust. How could a person justify owning such an excessive house.

"Yes."

"You live here alone?"

"My sister Georgiana lives with me when she is not away at boarding school. And Mrs. Reynolds, my housekeeper, lives her full time."

"You have a housekeeper?"

"Yes. Let's go inside and get ready to go. Mrs. Reynolds can help if you need anything."

Darcy led Lizzie to a spare bedroom where she could ready herself. Then he went to prepare himself. Since all Lizzie needed to do was change clothing, she was ready long before he was. Lizzie stepped out of the room and into the hallway, where she saw a number of photographs on the wall. There were photos of Darcy with his whole family, with his sister, with Charlie, with some of his relatives she recognized from the Fitzwilliam foundation. There was one photo, though, which was entirely unexpected. It was Darcy standing with her at the banquet they'd attended when she was eighteen. That the picture existed was no surprise, the Gardiners had the same picture hanging in their house. However, it was startling to her to find this photo in HIS house. She could not help staring at it.

"That picture was taken at a Fitzwilliam Foundation banquet. Will has been to dozens of those banquets for scholarship recipients, but that little girl was special to him." Little girl? Lizzie had been eighteen when that photo was taken, she was hardly a little girl. Yet when she examined the photo again, she saw that she had looked rather young then.

"What was so special about this particular girl?" Lizzie still had not turned to face Mrs. Reynolds.

"I don't know exactly. I just know Will had a conversation with her that caused him to follow his dream. He wanted to be a doctor for high risk pregnancies, but his family wanted him to stop at a regular MD and serve in an executive role at Fitzwilliam Medical. He was heading toward following his family's wishes until that night."

"Oh," Lizzie finally turned and introduced herself, "Mrs. Reynolds, I presume? I'm Lizzie Bennet." Mrs. Reynolds looks at the portrait on the wall, then at the young lady standing before her. She looked pensive but said nothing of the matter.

"Charlie's girlfriend, right?"

"I'm not Charlie's girlfriend."

"Oh! I am so sorry. I just recognized your name, since Charlie has spoken so much about you the last couple of times he's been here. So you aren't dating him?"

"No. And I don't want to be."

"Is there perhaps someone else you are interested in?" The expression on Lizzie's face revealed more than she would have cared to share, but her reply was calm.

"I do not think that question is one to be asked of such a new acquaintance." Mrs. Reynolds laughed.

"Don't worry, deary, your secret is safe with me. Would you like a tour of the house?" Lizzie was looked at the older lady in wonder, what did she know and what did she guess?

"That would be lovely."

They were able to see most of the house by the time Darcy was finished getting ready. To Lizzie it seemed absurd that anyone could live in so much luxury; she was troubled by the excess of it all. She could envy this lifestyle, but she could not understand it; it was so foreign to the life she had lived so far.

Darcy caught up to the ladies as Mrs. Reynolds was showing Lizzie the library. Lizzie was vastly more pleased with this room than any other, and she walked among the books, looking to see which particular titles were well worn. After all, one can learn a great deal about a man by what he reads.

"I see you have found the library."

"Yes, we have also seen the ball room, the kitchen and the billiard room. I believe we are quite ready for a game of clue, though you do not have a conservatory."

"The theatre could substitute. Now will you be Miss Scarlet or Mrs. Peacock, perchance?"

"No. I shall be Professor Plum, as I love purple. And you shall be Colonel Mustard, because I should like to see you in a yellow suit. What shall be the weapon though?"

"The candlestick, I suppose." Darcy pointed to a pair of silver candlesticks positioned in one corner of the library.

"Very well." They laughed together.

"I suppose we should be going now." He held out his arm, and although she was amused at the formality, Lizzie took it.

As they walked out Darcy turned and asked, "So other than reminding you of clue, what did you think of the house?" She could not tell him that it was ridiculously excessive and wasteful.

"It is… nice?"

"I sense you do not approve?"

"I imagine it would be a lovely place to have a large party. Do you often entertain?"

"When my mother was alive, she loved to host large parties. My father hosted parties on occasion because he considered it necessary for business. Sense his death, I have rarely entertained."

"I did not realize that this was your parent's home. Is this where you grew up?"

"It is." Lizzie found that it was easier to accept Darcy living in a gigantic house when she knew he had not purchased it for himself.

Throughout the trip to the funeral, Lizzie found herself looking at Darcy. She was torn between somber reflections about the baby who had died and the less serious contemplation of whether or not the man beside her looked better in his crisp black suit or the blue jeans he had donned earlier in the day. She was surprised when he spoke, after several minutes of silence.

"I blamed my father."

"Huh?"

"When my mother died, I blamed my father."

"I was fifteen. When my mother became pregnant they didn't know at first. She thought she was going through the change. But she became very ill. She was ill through the whole pregnancy. She died a few days after Georgie was born."

"I'm so sorry. That must have been very difficult."

"The doctors tried everything to save her. When it was clear they couldn't, my dad made the decision to cut the life support. I blamed him for her death."

"I think I understand why you want to come today." Darcy nodded.

"I still miss her. But I know Dad didn't really have a choice."

"Is this why you decided to become a perinatalogist?"

"I think if my mom had proper care all along, she wouldn't have died. But maybe I can save other women from the same fate. And I can save a few babies too."

"Did you like having a baby sister as a fifteen year old boy?"

"From the moment I first saw Georgie, I adored her. She was six when Dad died, and I couldn't imagine anyone else being her guardian."

"A great responsibility."

"I couldn't have done it without Mrs. Reynolds. Some of my relatives did not think it right that I should have custody. My cousin Richard has been very supportive. He has helped out a lot."

"And how old is Georgie, now?"

"She is sixteen and a sophomore in high school. It has been very hard to have her away at boarding school."

"I'm sure."

"We are usually in close contact. I've actually been worried because she hasn't written or called for a couple of weeks. And when I try to talk with her, she has little to say."

"I believe that's normal for sixteen-year-old girls. If you are concerned, I suggest a visit."

"That's probably a good idea."

As they arrived at the church, Lizzie was surprised to find that Darcy had walked around the car to open her door. As he offered her his arm, she reflected that perhaps not all of the habits of the wealthy were so bad. Then she wondered if Darcy's gentlemanly behavior was indeed a symptom of his wealth or if it was unrelated.

Before they entered the church, they were approached by a bedraggled looking old man begging for money.

"Please, won't you give me some money for a bus ticket? I don't have any money, and I need to get home." Lizzie reached for her purse and pulled out her wallet. Darcy tried to stop her.

"You can't give him money. How do you know he needs a bus ticket? He's probably just asking for money do go buy some liquor."

"I don't know that he needs a bus ticket, but I know that he might, and I can give him one." With that Lizzie pulled out a bus pass and handed it to the man. Then she turned to smile at Darcy's surprised face.

Inside the church, Lizzie felt both awestruck and uncomfortable with the ornate surroundings; a single look showed that her companion was not awestruck but was even more uncomfortable. Together they found a seat near the back of the sanctuary.

"Darcy, have you ever been to Catholic mass before?"

"I've been to a few. I think the best approach is to just sit here, and not try to look like you know what's going on," He paused, "and definitely do not try to take communion."

"That sounds like the voice of experience."

"Let's just say it's a memory I would rather not have." Lizzie giggled silently.

The service began shortly, and Darcy and Lizzie both found themselves moved by the heartfelt sentiments expressed and the hope of a life hereafter. Lizzie correctly conjectured that Darcy was thinking of his parents when she saw his stony façade, and she placed a hand on his arm in comfort. His face seemed to warm at her friendly touch, and he allowed himself to show some of the sorrow he felt.

When the mass had ended Lizzie and Darcy sought out the grieving parents and offered their condolences. Darcy had been correct that they would be especially comforted in the assurance of their choice by his medical expertise. Although he was glad to be of comforted, he was somewhat discomfited when I Antonio grasped him into a strong brotherly hug.

Meanwhile, Mindy whispered to Lizzie, "Your boyfriend is pretty cute."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Yet?" Lizzie looked at the man in question and smiled.

"How are you and Antonio doing? Are you holding up okay?"

"We just lost our baby, how well do you expect?"

"I'm sorry. Just let me know if there is anything I can do."

"Your being here means a lot."

Darcy and Lizzie spoke for a few more minutes, and then they departed.

Shortly before reaching Lizzie's home, Darcy noticed flashing lights in his rearview mirror. As he pulled over, he looked at the speedometer to confirm that he was not speeding. He willingly offered the approaching officer his license and registration, not failing to notice that the officer had his hand clasped onto his gun, ready to draw.

"I assume you know why I've pulled you over."

"No, sir." The officer looked skeptical as he took the items and walked back to his car.

Darcy turned to Lizzie in his bafflement, "I honestly have no clue why I was pulled over."

"We can rule out DWB."

"DWB?"

"Driving while black. Given that you are driving a fancy SUV in the ghetto, and the fact that you're white, I'd say that they suspect drugs.

A few minutes later, the officer returned with another. Lizzie looked back and noted that there were two more squad cars behind them.

"I am going to need you to step out of the car, and we're going to need to do a search."

"On what grounds? Are we not constitutionally guaranteed the we will not have to undergo unreasonable search and seizure?"

"Your date is a feisty one isn't she? I bet her pimp has schooled her on just what to say?"

"EXCUSE ME!" Darcy was livid. Lizzie wondered whether he was upset because she had been insulted, or if his pride was injured by the insinuation that he had hired a prostitute.

"Calm down! You don't want it to look like you're resisting do you?"

Once the officers had determined that there was nothing incriminating and that both of the vehicles occupants were clean, the first officer spoke, "So what are you doing in this part of town?"

"I live near here, and Dr. Darcy was giving me a ride home from a funeral we had both attended."

"I am sorry for the inconvenience, sir?"

"You had better have an apology for insulting this young lady. And it had better sound sincere, or else you can expect I will be calling a lawyer about this entire incident."

"Ma'am I am terribly sorry to have troubled you."

"And?"

"I should not have insinuated that you were involved in illegal activities."

"That will do for now. May we go?"

"Yes, please."

As they drove away, Lizzie burst forth into unrestrained laughter

"I am afraid I do not see your amusement in this situation."

"Truly?"

"Indeed."

"I'm afraid that such occurrences are fairly commonplace around here. That is certainly not the first time I've been pulled over without cause. That's part of life in the ghetto. You truly do not see humor in them accusing _us_ of such behavior. Come on Darcy do we not seem rather an unlikely pair as a criminal duo." Darcy gave a faint chuckle.

"I suppose we do. Your life is very different from mine." Lizzie was aware that he was right. She had wondered earlier how he could bear to live with himself in that gigantic house with so much excess. She could not understand his life, but now she knew that he did not understand hers either. She wanted him to understand.

"Would you like to stay for dinner when you drop me off?" He paused for a long while.

"Sure?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Bennet home was small and square; it sat among a neighborhood of homes nearly identical to it, with most of the variations being only in color. These homes, built in the late 1940s, were once the property of soldiers returned from the second world war, wanting a to start a new life. The inhabitants had long since moved on, leaving the neighborhood in disrepair, as poorer people moved into the houses. Moreover, interspersed between these houses were the vacant lots, where abandoned homes had been torn down, contributing to the growing urban prairie. Still it was not a miserable place to live; it was not truly in the ghetto, and the neighbors were friendly.

In fact, one of the friendly neighbors called out from his porch as Lizzie and Darcy arrived, "Hey Lizzie, what yo' man name?"

"This is my friend Fitzwilliam Darcy."

"What kind o' crazy ass name that be?"

"British?" Darcy replied.

"You ain't got no accent like dat?"

"No, I'm from Meryton. It's a family name."

"Oh yeah, I be knowin' 'bout dem crazy family names. I gots a cousin Reginald. We all call him Bobo, though. I'm Simon by the way. And don't you be takin' too long 'bout askin' Miss Lizzie here to be yo' girl. Ain't too many like her."

"Bye Simon." Lizzie called out, and hurried Darcy into the house before the exchange became more embarrassing.

"Hey, Papa," She greeted Tom as she walked into the front room, "I hope it's okay I invited Darcy to stay to dinner."

"No problem, Your granny left a pot of black bean soup on the stove for us. There's some mustard greens in the fridge, you can fix to go with."

"Do you like mustard greens, Darcy?"

"I can't say as I've tried them."

"Then try them you shall." Lizzie led Darcy into the Kitchen. She grabbed her apron and tied it on. Seeing Lizzie do so, Darcy took off his suit jacket hung it on a chair and rolled up his sleeves. He stood and watched Lizzie while she prepared the greens.

After they were frying she turned to him and spoke, "We can leave the greens a few minutes if you'd like a tour of the house. It only seems fair as I had a tour of yours."

"Okay?"

"This as you can see is the kitchen." Lizzie spoke in her most formal voice.

"That stove is an interesting color."

"My understanding is that avocado green appliances were quite popular in the seventies. The important thing is that it still works." Lizzie led Darcy back into the room they had first entered.

"This is the front room, also called the living room." Darcy looked with disgust on the two beat up couches fixed with duct tape. But then he noticed three large bookcases overflowing with books."

"Your papa has quite the collection of books."

Tom Bennet looked up, "The teachers at the school know how much I love to read. So they often give me books they are getting rid of."

"Papa is the janitor at West Longbourn High." Darcy nodded, and they moved to the next room.

"This is Mary and Jane's room. Jane is working tonight; she's a waitress at Red Lobster. Mary should be home soon." The room was an eclectic mix of girly and geeky. Having met Mary, Darcy was able to readily guess which possessions belonged to whom. He noted another two full bookcases.

"Now this room, I share with my sister Kitty and my nephew Jake. I sleep on the bottom bunk. It's easier to get up in the middle of the night that way to take care of Jake."

"Shouldn't your sister be the one to get up with her son? I would think you would want her to face the consequences of her irresponsible behavior."

Lizzie Bennet was rarely a person to be overcome with anger, but when she did, the ghetto came out. "Don' you be judgin' on things you ain' know nothin' bout. My baby sis' ain' no ho. Don' you dare talk 'bout her like dat." Rather than feeling chastened Darcy chuckled.

"You really are from the ghetto after all." Lizzie's ire only increased.

"Excuse me, my good sir, you must pardon my outpouring of improper diction. I am afraid you have angered me exceedingly with your hasty and persistent judgments. I am very protective of my younger sister, and I do not like you making assumptions about circumstances of which you have no knowledge." Darcy laughed again, this time Lizzie laughed too.

"I did not mean to presume."

"But you did presume."

"When my sister visited you in your office you made the same assumption."

"It is a natural one."

"Natural, perhaps, but also hurtful. Kitty has been mocked and scorned for her pregnancy. It took a tremendous amount of courage for her to carry Jake. I will help her in any way I can."

"Courage?"

"Just a moment, I need to check on the greens." Lizzie ran off leaving a confused Darcy standing in the middle of her room.

While Lizzie was in the kitchen, her sister and nephew came in through the front door. While Jake came running straight to his aunt, Kitty went to put her book bag in her room. When she saw the man standing in her room, she turned and ran to the living room, placing herself by her Papa's feet and curling into a ball crying. Lizzie saw her sister's fleeing figure and followed, bringing Kitty into a warm embrace.

"Why is Dr. Darcy in my room?"

"I was showing him around the house, and I got distracted by dinner."

"But why is that… that…" Kitty looked at her Papa and sought a more appropriate word than the one that had first come to mind, "why is that jerkface here?"

"Kitty, he's my friend. I know he can be an arrogant, presumptuous ass, but he can also be kind thoughtful and caring." After a long silence, Lizzie continued, "I believe he would be compassionate if he understood."

"He shouldn't judge me."

"No, he shouldn't. Still, can I have your permission to tell Darcy what happened?" Kitty nodded as the tears poured down her face.

"Oh dear! I nearly forgot the greens again!" Lizzie leapt to her feet and ran to the kitchen. Darcy, who had been standing awkwardly in the shadows, followed her.

"I seem to have hurt your sister."

"When Kitty had an appointment with you, you lectured her about not being promiscuous. For obvious reasons, she feels that you were calling her a slut. She was subject to a lot of negative attention for being pregnant at fifteen."

"Oh." From the appearance on Darcy's face, Lizzie could tell that he had not changed his assumptions.

"Kitty, was a victim of rape. Her assailant was a trusted adult. The whole experience nearly destroyed her. Mama pushed her to have an abortion. She had to be really brave to carry Jake, especially with all the ridicule she faced. A lot of girls in that situation end up dropping out of school to avoid the harassment. She's didn't. She did switch to a special school and is having training so that she'll be a licensed cosmetologist when she graduates high school. She has a part-time job in a salon, and they've already agreed to take her full time when she's licensed. I'm really proud of her."

"God, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"You didn't know, but you didn't need to assume."

"Is she really doing okay now?"

"Aside from being terrified of men, yeah, she really is. I think you need to apologize to Kitty."

"Will she want to talk to me?"

"We can try."

"Why don't I go talk to her while you finish cooking?"

Darcy left Lizzie in the kitchen, and went and sat cross-legged on the floor near where Kitty was still curled up.

"Kitty." He spoke in a soft gentle voice. She did not respond.

"You're absolutely right. I am a jerkface." Kitty giggled a little but didn't look up.

"I am sorry for the way I treated you. I hope you'll forgive me." Kitty looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Show me that you aren't a jerk."

"I'll try my best."

"Hello, Darcy, I wasn't expecting to see you again today," Mary spoke with evident surprise in her voice as she entered the room. Her surprise naturally increased as she realized that beside Darcy was a visibly upset Kitty.

"Lizzie invited me to stay for dinner." Mary nodded, though it was clear from her face that his explanation was insufficient.

"Dinner's ready," Lizzie called from the kitchen, "Should we eat now, or should we wait for Billy. He should be here in a few minutes."

"Why don't we wait for Billy. Then you can finish giving your friend the grand tour."

"Right, Papa, and that gives you more time not to be disturbed from your book."

"That too." Tom Bennet smiled.

"Shall we?" Lizzie gestured to Darcy, who hopped up from the floor to follow her.

"Lead the way."

"How'd it go with Kitty?" Lizzie asked as they walked down the hallway.

"She wants me to prove I'm not a jerk."

"At least she's giving you a chance. By the way, this is Granny and Papa's room" They had stepped into a very small bedroom, which had room for little more than the bed. The very small closet was overflowing with clothes. Darcy did not notice the closet though, he was looking at the bookcases.

"I do believe you all may have nearly as many books as I do."

"Though not nearly so well displayed." She led him one to the next door.

"This is the bathroom. As you can see, it was clearly decorated by the same person who chose our stove." Darcy nodded and looked in amusement to see that the bathtub, toilet and countertop were all an unusual shade of green. On the floor was a bright yellow linoleum.

"This is the only bathroom?"

"Yes, it's hectic when we are all going somewhere at the same time, but that usually only happens on Sunday mornings."

"It's rather small."

"Yes. It is." Lizzie turned and ushered Darcy back into the hallway and then opened the last door. He followed her down a somewhat rickety staircase.

"This is the laundry room and Papa's workshop. Papa can fix just about anything."

"Why is the dryer changed to the wall?"

"When it runs it vibrates so much that it scoots across the floor. Or at least it did scoot across the floor until Papa chained it to the wall. Since it still dries clothes just fine, there's really no need to get a new one. When I bring Jake down here, I sit him on top of the dryer and he thinks it's spectacular." Darcy smiled as he followed Lizzie to the last room. He saw the mattress laying on the floor as well as a duffle bag full of clothes sitting beside it.

"Who sleeps here?"

"This is where Billy sleeps. It's Mama's space when she comes home, but we haven't seen her for weeks. If she comes back while Billy's still here, he'll have to sleep on the couch upstairs."

"I didn't realize Billy lived with you."

"Just 'til the end of the semester when he graduates. Hopefully he'll be able to find a job quickly."

"Accounting right?"

"Hmm…"

Before their conversation could continue farther, they were interrupted by the subject of it. With Billy's arrival, it was time for them to eat dinner.

To Darcy's credit, he did not complain or make any negative reference about the food that was served to him. However, based on how little he ate, it was clear to Lizzie that the man did not approve of black bean soup or mustard greens.

"Would you like me to find you something else to eat?"

"No, I… I am just not very hungry tonight."

Darcy then turned to Billy, "I understand you will graduating with a degree in accounting soon. Do you have a job lined up yet?"

"No, I do not. I've been working on my resume, though."

"My aunt Catherine is looking for a personal accountant. Do you think you'd be interested?"

"Oh yes."

"She does live in Georgia for most of the year, so you would have to move. Would you mind moving?"

"Not if the job paid well enough."

"My aunt is in town right now. Maybe you could give me your resume tonight, and I could try to line up an interview for you this week."

"You would do that?"

"Just make sure you have a nice suit to wear for the interview. She really cares about that sort of thing." Billy stared down at his plate.

Lizzie piped in, "Billy, I'll pay for the suit for you, you can pay me back after you get a job. Whether you get this particular job or not, you'll need a suit." Darcy was clearly startled by Lizzie's offer.

"Would you help me shop for a suit too?" Lizzie laughed.

"I have no idea how to shop for a man's suit, Billy. I think I would be absolutely useless in that capacity."

"How about you, Uncle Tom?" Tom chuckled.

"I haven't owned a suit in years. Unless you count a bathing suit."

"I can just imagine Billy showing up for an interview with the formidable Mrs. DeBourgh in only swim trunks. I can just imagine her. 'What is the meaning of this? I would not have expected my nephew to refer such a person to me. It is not to be bourne." Darcy looked at Lizzie with wide eyes.

"You do a very good impression of my aunt. You sound as though you know her well."

"Let's just say that in the times that I did meet her, she had quite the impression on me. Do not get me wrong, I don't think Mrs. DeBourgh is a bad person, but she rather terrifies me." Darcy chuckled, then surprised everyone.

"Billy, why don't I take you suit shopping. Do you have time tomorrow? I have the day off."

"Really? Thank you so much! I have classes in the morning, but my afternoon is free."

From this point the conversation turned to more general topics, and Darcy turned to his more common habit of sitting silently. He appeared relieved when the evening was finally over.

"Thanks for coming over, Darcy."

"Thanks for inviting me. Today has definitely been full of new experiences."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Billy's exuberance the next morning astounded Lizzie, though upon further reflection she supposed it should not have done so. She could remember her own excitement and nervousness when she began interviewing for jobs before her college graduation. Thus she should not be surprised at how happy Billy was about the attention Darcy was showing him.

"He's going to pick me up on campus, then take me to lunch where he'll look over my resume and also give me advice on how to interview with Mrs. DeBourgh. Then we're going to spend the afternoon shopping. I am so thankful he's going to help me with all of this. I really hope I get this job. Isn't Darcy being such a good friend?" A friendship between Billy and Darcy seemed like a strange thing to her. Honestly, Billy didn't have many friends. She couldn't think of any.

"Yes, Billy he is. Is Darcy bringing you home?"

"I think so. Should I invite him to dinner then?"

"I think that would be a kind way to thank him for his time. I am not convinced he'll accept. He did not seem pleased with the food that was served last night. Although maybe I can convince Granny to make a nice meal for him."

"Will Aunt Fanny be home tonight?"

"I think so. I'll call and talk to her. Go ahead and invite Darcy. But don't be offended if he doesn't come."

"Oh, I won't."

"Billy, I know this is a change of subject. But why did you used to wear that crazy fro and dress like a gangster."

"Kids used to make fun of me for acting white. I wanted to show them that I wasn't."

"Acting white? So what changed your mind?"

"You did."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You didn't approve. Uncle Tom didn't approve either."

"And the preppy look?"

"In our life skills class, they told us to dress for the job we want."

"If you're going to work for Catherine DeBourgh, I expect you'll have to dress fancier than polo shirts and dockers. But I suppose that's a good sentiment."

"Do you think she'll approve of me? Do you think I really have a chance to get this job?" Lizzie had never seen Billy so insecure. He always seemed to cocky and arrogant. Was his self-assurance an act?

"I don't think Darcy would have suggested it if he thought she wouldn't."

Through their conversation, Lizzie began to see Billy in a new light. He had been bullied and harassed for who he was, and then he sought to remake himself into something different. First, he had tried to become like the guys who bullied him, then he had tried to become the person Lizzie wanted him to be. Now she expected he was about to remake himself into the person who would please Mrs. DeBourgh. Lizzie felt a surge of compassion for him. She had been annoyed for years by his interest in her, now she could understand it better. She had been kind to him, when he was nearly friendless. Their one date had meant a lot more to him than it had to her because he had so few positive relationships in his life. Now Lizzie found herself wanting to be friendlier to Cousin Billy, but wondering if doing so would cause him to hope for more than she could deliver.

The other gentleman in Lizzie's life who already hoped for more than she could deliver was vastly pleased to find that he had her company all to himself at lunch that day. Charlie and Lizzie had a friendly and pleasant lunch hour during which they discussed a variety of topics of mutual interest. By the end of the hour Charlie was wondering how long it would take to persuade Lizzie to go out with him, and Lizzie was wondering how long it would take Charlie to realize they were better off as friends.

When Lizzie arrived home that evening, she was very eager to hear how the shopping trip had gone. As she had cared for her patients that afternoon, her thoughts had often been distracted by wondering about Darcy and Billy. On the trip home Lizzie and Kitty had been imagining what the shopping trip had been like, their imaginings based on a humorous caricature of the men involved. Thus, there was cheerful excitement on her face when she walked through the door of her home, carrying Jake on her hip.

As Lizzie walked into the house, she saw that the family was already sitting at the table for dinner. Darcy was seated beside her granny with a rather uncomfortable look on his face. Yet when he looked up and saw Lizzie, his face was diffused with a much more contented expression. Could her presence really make such a difference to Darcy? She hoped so.

As she settled Jake into his high chair, she casually asked about the events of the day. Billy was more than happy to give a play by play.

"First, we went to lunch and Darcy bought my lunch and he looked at my resume. He told me which things to remove and helped me find things to add in their place so that Mrs. DeBourgh would approve of the resume. I've got an interview with her tomorrow, and Darcy says I'm almost sure to get the job. Which is really great, except that I'll feel like such a fool if I don't."

"Tomorrow? That's really soon. Especially since you won't be graduating for another two months."

"If I get the job, I'll be working part-time starting right away. Mrs. DeBourgh will be returning to Georgia at the end of this week, so I'd be working at Fitzwilliam Medical until I graduate."

"That will give Billy some experience before he actually starts with my aunt."

"Anyway, Darcy took me shopping after lunch. We went to this little shop I'd never been to before. The sales guy was super friendly. I think that's because I knew Darcy. It was pretty weird though, because they took me back and measured me and stuff. And then they brought clothes to me to try on. It was way easier than normal shopping. Anyway, the suit needed to be altered a little bit to fit me right. But Darcy told them it needed to be done by tomorrow, and they set straight to work on it, and had it ready for me this afternoon. While we were waiting, we picked out a bunch of other clothes so I'll have clothes to wear when I start working. Shopping with Darcy is awesome. I don't really know what it would have been like without him." Lizzie could see that Darcy was embarrassed with the praise. She was not surprised when he changed the subject.

"Mrs. Bennet, I must tell you this is the best fried chicken I've had in years. Since my grandmother passed on really."

"Oh thank you, sweetie. Did your granny make fried chicken, then?"

"Actually, this meal, the fried chicken, and biscuits, and green beans are so much like what she would have fixed. Grandma was from Georgia and she said only a Southerner could make biscuits right."

"She might be right."

"You're from the South then?"

"Georgia, too even."

"And how did you end up here."

"I got pregnant, when I was sixteen. I didn' want to tell my daddy. I knew he'd be disappointed in me. The baby's dad said he'd take care of me if I ran away with him, so I did. And, you know, he did take care of me for a couple years. Then I guess we wasn't interesting enough anymore. He took off, when I was eighteen and Liddy was jus' two."

"Did you ever think about going back to your family?"

"Sure I thought about it. But I couldn' do it. Mama moved up here to be with us when daddy died. She's in a nursin' home now, but we get to see her pretty often 'cause she's close by. What 'bout you? Can you tell us about yo' granny?"

"She was my mother's mother. Her family was an old established family in the South. They lived on Rosings plantation not too far from Atlanta. Aunt Catherine lives there now, at least most of the time."

"How did she end up here in Meryton, then?"

"Grandpa Fitz was in the navy during World War II. After the war he went to Georgia with a Navy buddy, and while he was there he met my grandma. She was just out of high school then. I don't know if it was love at first sight, but they married less than six months later. Grandma's parents didn't approve the match since the Fitzwilliams weren't an old family from the south. But by the time my uncle Henry was born, they'd reconciled."

"Did your grandma miss the south?"

"Only in the winter, I think. And like I said she made excellent Southern food. Tell me, Mrs. Bennet, do you make sweet potato pie, too?"

"You bet I do. But usually only for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guarantee if you come spend Thanksgiving with us I'll have a pie for you? Plus I bet Libby'd love to have you too."

"Are we having Thanksgiving here this year then, Aunt Fanny?" Darcy could not help looking around the room with raised eyebrows. They could not even fit everyone around the kitchen table now without all of the home's occupants present. How would they fit additional company.

"With your mother having moved away I don't know where else we'd host, Billy. Phillipa's apartment is even smaller and they don't have a full size oven."

"While I appreciate your offer Mrs. Bennet, I usually spend the holiday with my uncle Henry's family. Besides Thanksgiving is still several weeks away. Do you honestly expect me to wait so long now that I know you can make sweet potato pie?"

"Granny, Darcy did take Billy shopping today and is helping him acquire a job. I'd say he deserves a pie," Lizzie quipped.

"All men deserve pie!" Tom Bennet proclaimed firmly.

His wife looked at him lovingly and replied, "No sweetie, men must earn their pie."

"I think I should earn a pie just for having to live in a house with so many women."

"Of course, dear."

"I am afraid that my future husband, whoever he may be, will have to find another source for his pie," quipped Lizzie, "Because no matter how much he may deserve pie, I am not a proficient in the art of pie-making." Fanny nearly glowered at Lizzie; her husband did not fail to notice.

"Oh Lizzie, you've made your granny mad! Don't you know you're not supposed to admit to lacking any womanly accomplishments in the presence of eligible young fellas"

"Papa! Darcy and Billy are both my friends, and I doubt that either of them will think less of me just because I can't bake a pie."

"Besides, it's not your fault if no one taught you." Billy came to her defense.

"Actually, Aunt Maddie did try several times to teach me, but my crusts never came out right. Thankfully, Uncle Eddy never minded eating the results."

"And I happen to know," Billy responded quickly in what Lizzie supposed was meant to be a flirtatious tone, "that Lizzie has many other womanly accomplishments."

"Okay, now I am curious."

"Well, Darcy, she sews, knits, dances, cooks, bakes, as well as decorating cakes, and arranging flowers." Darcy raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds, Lizzie, like you are ready to become a 1950s housewife."

"As long as I don't have wear heels while I vacuum."

"Don't forget Lizzie also has manly accomplishments as well. Auto maintenance, small engine repair, and welding."

"Papa, I can hardly be called an accomplished welder. I took like three classes on welding."

"But you can do all those other things?"

"Yes, Darcy, Uncle Eddy and Aunt Maddie thought I should have a well-rounded education."

"Don't you boys agree that my Libby would make a lovely wife?"

"I certainly think so, Aunt Fanny." Billy spoke with eagerness; Darcy merely stared at his plate.

The rest of the dinner progressed in a similar manner. Fanny Bennet paid copious compliments to her granddaughter, Billy agreed fervently, and Darcy stared at his plate saying nothing. Darcy was clearly much relieved when the meal was over.

As the family members excused themselves from the table, Lizzie spoke cheerfully, "I'll wash the dishes tonight, and Darcy is going to help me."

"I am?"

"Yes, sir, you are."

As they cleared the plates from the table, Darcy ventured to speak, "Your grandmother is…er… rather enthusiastic."

"Don't mind her. She didn't marry until she was in her mid forties and has found that marriage has brought her greater happiness than anything else. So, naturally, she wants all her loved ones to find equal bliss. Don't take it personally. She pretty much throws me at any single man of our acquaintance. I rather feel like a piece of meat up for sale. But I also find it funny because I know she means well. I noticed you weren't much impressed by my womanly accomplishments."

"Lizzie, how did you expect me to answer that question? If I said you wouldn't make a lovely wife, I'd be insulting you. If I said you would, then it might seem that I had designs on you, and your granny would only be more forceful in her machinations. For what it's worth, I do think you an admirable young lady. Though your intelligence is far more impressive to me than your ability to decorate cakes."

"Thank you. I didn't really mean to put you on the spot."

"It's not your fault. To be honest, most of the skills they listed are ones I've not really valued. I suppose because they are practical skills that I would not hesitate to pay someone else to do."

"I suppose never having to pinch pennies changes your perspective on everything."

"It's strange given that we have such different lives that our grandmother's have such similar backgrounds."

"On the surface anyway." _After all, my ancestors probably learned to make those perfect biscuits slaving away in the kitchens of your ancestors._

"The Rosings Plantation is a really beautiful place. It looks like something out of _Gone With the Wind_. Though admittedly the changes Aunt Catherine has wrought are not particularly pleasant." _Gone with the wind is so demeaning to Black people; how can anyone stand that story?_

"If Billy gets the job, will he be leaving at Rosings?"

"In a guest house there, and I'm pretty sure he will get this job."

"Thanks for helping him out. Giving him your time was really priceless. By the way, what do we owe you for all the clothes?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. It's a gift."

"Darcy, it's too much. You can't do that."

"I don't see how my being kind to Billy is any different than you giving that man yesterday a bus pass."

"A new suit, plus all those other clothes is way more expensive than a bus pass."

"And I have a lot more money to give away than you do."

"On the one hand it's the same. On another it's different."

"How so?"

"Billy sees your gesture as an act of friendship, not of charity. You cannot have a strong friendship when one person is constantly feeling indebted to the other.

"Oh."

"You know, Billy really could use your friendship. I hope you won't hurt him."

"I thought you didn't care about Billy?"

"I never said that. I do find his persistent desire to be my boyfriend more annoying than not. But in my mind he's my cousin. And I care about him as such, even if he drives me crazy. Surely you can understand."

"Do I ever! Aunt Catherine is always trying to set me up with her step-daughter Anne. I like Anne, but she's just my cousin, even if not by blood."

"You do understand then? So what does Anne think of all this. She seems like a sweet lady, but not very assertive."

"I honestly don't know; she's never outwardly objected to the idea."

"She's probably too afraid of her mother."

"My aunt can be rather intimidating. I do believe she means well though."

"Just as Granny does."

"By the way, I noticed your granny calls you Libby. Nobody else does."

"Just like Mrs. Reynolds calls you Will, but everybody else calls you Darcy." Darcy blushed.

"Not quite everyone. Georgiana calls me Will, too. And Aunt Catherine always calls me Fitzwilliam."

"Mama also calls me Libby."

"Why did you change your name?"

"I changed from Libby to Lizzie because I just wanted to be different as I was growing up I guess. I also always thought that Libby was a silly sounding nickname for Elizabeth."

"Oh. But why did you change your last name."

"Kind of a long story, but the basic point is that I didn't want to be recognized as my mother's daughter."

"Has that worked?"  
"For the most part."

"I have a confession to make, Lizzie. Until tonight, having dinner with your grandmother, I had no idea that Lizzie Bennet was Libby Jackson."

"You didn't know."

"I'm sorry. I have this habit of not really looking at people. That day you spilt coffee on me the first time and Bingley wanted me to meet you, I didn't remember ever having met you before, thought I knew I must have seen you around at the hospital."

"That explains some things I guess."

"I realize I must have seemed unpardonably rude. And there been a couple times I've been thoroughly confused as you seemed to know me much better than I knew you." Lizzie laughed softly.

"Rude yes. But now unpardonable. And I suppose I do look a good bit different than I used to. I saw that picture you had of us in your hallway. I looked so young then. I guess I was a late bloomer."

"Yes, you look umm… much er… more umm… womanly? now." Lizzie laughed a little harder.

"Will this teach you to pay more attention to the people around you?"

"My God, I sure hope so."

"By the way, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Reynolds recognized me from your photo. I really had no clue you didn't know."

Lizzie was just cleaning the last of the dishes, when she remembered the water fight she and Char had had the other day. She wondered how Darcy would react if she grabbed the sprayer and sprayed him with it. She looked at him pensively for a moment, then imagined what he would look like soaked head to toe. She could not contain her mirth.

"I fear I am the target of some secret amusement."

"You are." And with that Lizzie grabbed the sprayer and sprayed Darcy in the face. His eyes widened, and he looked at her incredulously.

"I see you may have matured on the outside. But inside perhaps you are still a child." Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Lizzie wished she knew.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Billy Collins looked like a child pretending to be all grown up when he was wearing his brand new suit; at least that's what Lizzie thought when she saw him, though of course she was kind enough not to say it. That's not to say that his suit was oversized. It was actually quite well-fitting. Something about Billy –maybe it was his youthful exuberance—made him seem so much younger than Lizzie even though he was close to her own age. Perhaps this was because he had had fewer responsibilities and because she had been out of college and in the workforce for several years now.

This train of thought made her think of Darcy and the comment he had made the night before. Her silly behavior in spraying him with the dish sprayer must have really bothered him; he left so quickly after wards, with only the barest of excuses. Did he view her the same way she viewed Billy? She truly was much younger than Darcy eight years to be specific. Still he knew, to some degree at least, how she carried a great many responsibilities. Little could she have imagined that Darcy in fact admired her childlike exuberance –that he had left in haste because he was disturbed by the feelings that arose in him when he saw her playful smirk, feelings he ought not to have for the girl his best friend was clearly infatuated with.

At lunch that day, Darcy did not speak to Lizzie at all, and he barely spoke to anyone else. Whenever she looked at Darcy, though, Lizzie noticed that he was staring at her with an unreadable expression. Was he really so disturbed by her playfulness with the sprayer? Regardless, she could not bring herself to regret it, despite being heavily disappointed in his reaction.

That evening Billy was especially effusive as he shared with Lizzie about his interview.

"I got the job, Lizzie! I got the job! Oh the interview was great. It was so much better than I thought. I was so afraid before it. I was scared because of how you portrayed Catherine DeBourgh, but she wasn't scary. Mrs. DeBourgh is such a wonderful lady. She explained to me all of the details of her business and asked me such insightful questions."

"That's great Billy. Will you start work right away?"

"Yes. I start work Monday, part-time. Then when I graduate I'll be moving to Georgia to work with her at Rosings. She has a guest house there where I'll be able to stay. And the pay is higher than I imagined it would be."

"Why don't I run to the store and get some ice cream so we can all celebrate?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd go out to dinner with me to celebrate."

"You mean a big family dinner party; that sounds fun."

"No, Lizzie, I mean just you and me."

"A date?"

"Yes dear, a date."

"No Billy. I am not your dear and I do not want to go out on a date."

"Oh come on, Liz! It's about time you stopped playing hard to get. I've just been offered a real job, with a good salary. I'd like us to get married soon. We could move to Georgia together. I'm sure you can find another good job there. Then we can have a great life. And we'll be able to give our kids all the things we never had. We'll even be able to afford to send them to a nice private school if we want."

"Billy, I am NOT playing hard to get. I care about you, Billy. But not that way. I know we're not blood-related, but you're a cousin to me. I don't think you're in love with me either. I think you just like the idea of me. I don't want to hurt you, Billy. But I have never tried to lead you on. You are not what I want." Billy had an almost shocked look on his. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Inside was a simple diamond ring.

"It was my grandmother's ring. I want it to be yours. Please Lizzie. I can give you a good life."

"No Billy. You'll find someone else who will be delighted to get that ring. Just not me."

"There's someone else, isn't there?"

"I am not dating anyone."

"That's not what I asked."

"Look, it's neither here nor there. I do not want to be your girl. I do not want to marry you."

"Oh!"

"Look, please don't tell my granny about this."

"Oh, I think she'll handle it alright."

"You do?"

"Yes, because she thinks you're going to catch Darcy."

"Oh?"

"But his aunt told me today that he's going to marry her step-daughter."

"That's not what he says. But that's neither here nor there, because Darcy and I are just friends."

"So you don't want to date him?"  
"I'll be honest with you, Billy, I do have a bit of crush on the man, and I have for a long time. But I am pretty resigned to the fact that we aren't going to be more than friends."

"He is a bit out of your league."

"Not that I think you're wrong, Billy. But that's not a very nice thing to say."

"Maybe we can understand each other a little then."

"I daresay we can."

"So I really don't have a chance with you?"

"No, Billy you don't." With that Billy turned around and ran from the room. He was full of anger and hurt, though when he paused to think about it he was neither as angry nor as hurt as he had expected it to be. No part of him was so wounded as his pride.

Lizzie, of course, was also upset by the whole conversation, so she rushed away and shut herself in her room. Then she grabbed the phone to call her best friend.

"Oh, Char, I feel awful!."

"What's the matter, chica?"

"Billy just practically proposed." Char laughed lightly.

"And you feel bad for refusing him?"

"Yeah, but I think he finally knows that I mean it."

"Poor, Billy. I bet it's kind of awkward for both of you."

"That's an understatement."

"Would you like to come over here?"

"Nah, not really. I just want to be at home and sit and watch TV with my Papa."

"I guess I know I'm a true friend when you don't have to lie about not wanting to come see me."

"You know it, Char."

"I think I'll invite Billy to come spend some time over here then and keep him distracted for you."

"You're the best"

"I sure am."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lizzie was not looking forward to the long awkward drive into work on Friday; to her surprise it did not happen. Billy casually told her that he wouldn't be riding with her anymore; he intended to take the bus. So instead of a weird silent drive, she had a nice pleasant chat with her little sister. At least it was pleasant for Lizzie until the aspiring hair-stylist began to discuss her big sisters hairdo.

"Lizzie, you've got to let me do something different with your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing's wrong with it. It's just that you've worn your hair in that exact same way for ages." Since starting work as a nurse, Lizzie had not once changed her hair. She wore it in corn rows heading toward the back of her head.. At the end of each row was a braid about two inches long with beads on the end. The only thing Lizzie ever changed was what the beads looked like.

"I like this style. I hardly have to do anything with it, and I only ever have to get it done every six weeks."

"But I bet you'd look super cute with something different. Besides, were doing a unit on African hair braiding in class, and I need to practice. Plus if you come into the school to get it done, I can get credits for it."

"Now I see. You know me sis, I'll stop at nothing to further your education."

"Even let me color your hair?"

"Well maybe not that. Unless you get super desperate I suppose. What color would you make it?"

"Purple."

"Ooh! Granny would kill you. I can just here her now! How on earth is Libby evah gonna catch a handsome young fella with that ridiculous look!" Both girls giggled uproariously.

"Lizzie, I've missed this time."

"Me too! Hopefully Billy with continue to ride the bus all the time."

Lizzie's cheerful mood continued through the morning as she cared for her patients. In such spirits the morning passed quickly, and it was soon time for lunch.

During lunch, Charlie and Lizzie sat and chatted about nothing in particular, Billy exuberantly explained his new job to Char, who responded to his story with thinly veiled flirtations, and Darcy stared almost constantly at Lizzie, only looking away when she caught his eye. Lizzie could honestly not say which friend's behavior was the most disconcerting.

Lizzie returned to the NICU feeling a bit rumpled in spirit, and found that the afternoon would not be nearly so peaceful as the morning. Although there were no crisis situations that afternoon, many of the babies were downright irritable. Lizzie resorted to a method of calming them which has been used for millennia: singing.

"Hush little babies, don't say a word, Lizzie's gonna buy you a mocking bird," she sang softly, "But if Dr. Cheng finds a bird in here, he's gonna kick her in the rear. If he kicks her, she'll say ouch. And then she'll call him a mean old grouch!" As she sang her improvised lyrics, she heard a low chuckle coming from behind her.

"Those aren't quite the lyrics I remember for that song." Darcy noted.

"Right, and the real lyrics make a lot of sense. Like what on earth is a baby going to do with a mocking bird or a diamond ring. Anyway, may I help you Dr. Darcy."

"I was just coming in to check on the Angstrom baby. Her mother is very ill and unable to leave her room at the moment, and she hasn't had an update all day."

"I think she's one of Char's patients. Char's busy at the moment, one of her patients was just circumcised and needs extra care, but I'm sure I can pull up the chart for you if you don't want to wait."

"Ahh, that explains all the screaming."

"Yes, although all of the babies are more irritable than normal."

"It is a full moon. And I think it might storm." Lizzie smiled broadly.

"Isn't it funny how we humans are so affected by natural phenomena, often without realizing the cause?" _God I hope she doesn't know I'm affected by her_, Darcy thought. _No, I am most definitely not affected by Lizzie Bennet, where did that thought come from._

"Yes, funny." Darcy replied sternly.

Lizzie, wondering how she had offended her friend, found the chart in question, and gave Darcy a full update on Baby Angstrom, who as yet had not been given a first name. Darcy smiled softly and thanked Lizzie for her help, but he did not meet her eyes, leaving her perplexed and frustrated.

There is nothing quite like a lazy weekend after an eventful emotion-filled week. That's why Lizzie found herself seated beside her Papa in front of the TV set most of that weekend. In fact, the only time she left the house was for church on Sunday morning, despite Jane trying to convince her to spend Saturday afternoon at the mall.

On Saturday afternoon, as Lizzie was dozing her phone rang, and she lazily answered.

"Uhh. Hello!"

"I see you're excited to hear from me!" Aunt Maddie chirped.

"Sorry, Maddie. I was half asleep. I am always glad to hear from you."

"I've got some good news and some bad news for you."

"Spill the bad news first, you know that's best."

"Well, that trip to India Uncle Eddy and I were going to take next summer..."

"The one you invited me to come on?"

"Yeah... that's the one. We're going to have to cancel it."

"Oh?"

"Because I am expecting a baby." Lizzie gasped. Then she began to jump in excitement.

"Oh that's so awesome Maddie! I am so happy for you guys!"

"I can honestly hardly believe it. It's been sixteen years, and we honestly thought it was impossible."

"If it's a boy I think you'll have to name him Isaac. Just like Abraham and Sarah did."

"I like that suggestion, but surely you know we're not quite that old." Lizzie laughed.

"Of course not! You'll never get old."

"We could name him Samuel, you know, we did pray for a baby like Hannah did. Of course, maybe this baby will be a girl and that'll be a moot point."

"Oh Aunt Maddie, I'm sorry I've got to go. I've got a call coming in. It looks like it's from Darcy. I'll talk to you later."

"No problem, dear. I think I'm going to go make a snack of onions with mustard on them."

"Yuck! Cravings already then, huh?"

"Bye!"

Lizzie hit the talk button quickly, but found that she had been too slow. So she quickly returned Darcy's call. The man sounded distraught, to say the least, when he answered her call. If he hadn't called her first, Lizzie would have thought he didn't want to talk to her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Darcy, what's up?"

"Umm... I need some advice?" _Darcy is calling me for advice?_

"Okay, I can try to help."

"It's about my sister."

"Georgiana, right? Is something wrong?"

"Well, I don't know. I think there might be. But she won't talk to me. Ugh! I so do not understand women."

"She won't talk at all."

"No. We usually talk three times a week. And usually for about an hour each time. She's not answering when I call. She's sent maybe three texts in as many weeks and that's all."

"Oh wow. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"Not that I can remember. And usually when she's upset about something she yells in my face. She's never done the silent treatment thing."

"Oh."

"There's something else, too. She's allowed to withdraw a certain amount of money from her account each week. If she wants more, she has to get my permission. Normally she doesn't take anywhere near as much as she's allowed, but the last three weeks, she has taken the full amount. Plus her credit card bill has all these unusual unexpected expenses. She's making large purchases at places like Best Buy. And there are restaurant visits almost everyday even though the school provides her with all of her meals."

"You know what you have to do, don't you?"

"I do?"

"You've got to go and visit her."

"Do you think I need to go right now? Or could it wait until next weekend. I can probably reschedule appointments to make a three day weekend of it."

"I think it can wait. You might need more than a day to sort this out."

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Not really, but I'm willing to bet it involves a boy."

"Grrrr!"

"Just make sure you don't turn into a savage bear and frighten your sister away."

"No, I don't want to scare Georgie, just HIM."

"Good luck."

"Thanks Lizzie."

After saying good-bye, Lizzie wondered some more at Darcy. He had seemed so unimpressed with her the other day. He had barely spoken to her at all, and now he was asking for advice about his sisters. One thing Lizzie knew for certain was that she did not understand Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Her understanding was broadened further on Monday morning. She was not to be caught off guard, so she was fully alert when she came to the place that she had previously collided with Darcy. To her surprise, he was standing just off the sidewalk holding not one, but three cups of coffee.

"Thirsty this morning, Darcy?"

"I got coffee for you and Billy too."

"Oh, Billy's not with me this morning. But I'll gladly take mine. Thanks!" Darcy smiled awkwardly.

"I went with mocha for you."

"You have chosen wisely!"

"So where is Billy anyway."

"Oh, he's not riding with me anymore, he's taking the bus."

"You guys have a fight?"

"Not exactly. It's more than he has finally accepted the reality that I'm not going to be his girlfriend, so he distanced himself from me."

"Oh."

"Well, anyway, I am sure I'll find some one else who wants the extra drink."

"Thanks again."

"My pleasure." And when Lizzie saw the smile on his face, she knew that he meant it.

As Lizzie sipped her coffee, while she readied herself for work, she noticed Darcy's name written on the cup. And she remembered hearing a story about a man who had told the barrista his name was Primrose Everdeen, so that when his name was called he could shout "I VOLUNTEER". She was smiling to herself at the recollection, when Charlie came in. At first he seemed cheerful, but then he looked at Lizzie with her cup in hand and a deep frown grew on his face. He was in a decidedly grumpy mood for the rest of the morning. Lizzie could not figure how she had managed to offend him, and she was beginning to think that men were rather mysterious creatures.

On her way down to lunch though, she happened to overhear a bit of conversation as she passed the doctor's lounge. It definitely brought perspective.

"I told you Charlie. I'm just being friendly. I thought you wanted her to be my friend. You're always mad that I don't like the girls you like. Well I like this one."

"Yeah, but you've been spending time with her. You've been to her house. You ate dinner with her family. And now you're buying her coffee!"

"It's not like We've been having romantic interludes, Charlie. And I bought coffee for Lizzie AND her cousin Billy. It was a friendly gesture. Lizzie is my friend. You know I wouldn't go for a girl you liked. And besides she's not suitable for me, she's way to young for me and we're from completely different worlds." Lizzie had heard enough. Too much, really. She already knew she was in the friendzone, but that didn't mean it felt good to hear it. The conversation continued as she wandered to the cafeteria.

"Maybe, but I've seen the way you look at Lizzie. You totally have the hots for her."

"That's so disrespectful. I admire her. She's smart and funny and intelligent and thougtful and caring. How could I not like her? But that doesn't mean I have designs on her." Darcy didn't realize he sighed as he spoke, and his friend was not exactly comforted.

"She is definitely one of a kind."

"I will not argue with that."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I'm sorry it has taken so long for this update. My Laptop is broken, making it much more difficult to type updates.**

Chapter 15

"Have you thought anymore about your new hairdo?" Kitty asked her older sister a couple of days after she first broached the subject.

"Yeah, I think I should have Princess Leia buns." Kitty laughed a little.

"Seriously, though, have you thought about it?"

"No, not really. I guess I'll have to rely on your judgment."

"Hmm... Maybe I'll make your hair look like a helicopter. You know, like that picture we saw in _Life_ Magazine?"

"Do you want me to trust you with my hair or not?"

Before Kitty could reply, her phone rang, leaving Lizzie to listen to half of a conversation.

"Hey, Mama!" Kitty said brightly.

"I'm doing good. So's Lizzie. She's been spending some extra time with a guy friend lately."

"No, I won't tell you more about him. 'Cuz Lizzie's glarin' at me."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, that's right. I'm working for Aunt Philippa now."

"It's a great job. It pays pretty well for a high school job. But the best part is she wants me to work for her full time when I graduate."

"Yeah, I've gotten my first pay check."

"No, I haven't spent it yet. I put it in savings."

"No, Mama. I want to save up to buy a car."

"No, Mama. I'm not giving you my money."

"No Mama. I'm not loaning you my money. I already know you haven't paid Lizzie back when you borrowed from her last. I think you owe Granny too."

"Yes. I'm sure."

"But I'll still see you on Friday though, right?"

"But you promised!"

"What kind of mama are you anyway?"

Kitty slammed down her phone, and threw her hands over her face and began to cry.

"What's the matter, sweetie?"

"Why doesn't mama love me?"

"I don't know if mama knows how to love. You're upset 'cuz she wants money?"

"A little. Mostly I'm upset that she isn't coming on Friday."

"Parent Teacher Conferences?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a reason you want her to come this time?"

"I'm getting good grades in all my classes and my teachers really like me. I want mama to be proud of me. Plus, I don't want the other kids to know that mama doesn't care. Plus, mama said she would come."

"Kitty, would you like me to go?"

"You would do that?"

"I would."

"Even if you have to take time off work?"

"When is the conference supposed to be?"

"1:30."

"I bet I can get the time off. You don't have classes Friday right?"

"Yeah, but the salon at school is open all day, so if we want we can be there doing haircuts and stuff. We earn credits for it, but it's also a chance for the parents to come see what it's like."

"Let me guess, after the conference I'm getting my new do."

"You bet."

"After that, maybe Jane can join us and we can go shopping."

"And then out for ice cream?"

"If the teacher's reports are as good as you expect?"

"They are."

Kitty's proclamation was completely verified two days later as Lizzie sat conferencing with two of Kitty's instructors, one a middle-aged woman with bright pink hair and the other an impeccably dressed young man.

The woman, who introduced herself as Mrs. Robertson, gave a glowing report, "Kitty is dedicated to her studies. She completes all of her assignments, and even in the areas she struggles with, all of her teachers have noted that she is a hard worker."

The young man, who introduced himself as Greg added, "She is also very creative in using the techniques learned to find new hairstyles. Kitty is gifted in selecting styles that flatter. She also has had far fewer mishaps than any of her classmates. The only real mistake I remember is when she accidentally left the coloring in too long, and the lady involved was not pleased with the result. Even then it didn't look bad."

The two teachers continued to share pleasant remarks about Kitty's work and her behavior, until Greg finally mentioned that he did have one concern. "Kitty has been very reluctant to be teamed with any of her male classmates on any group work. She is very bashful toward me, and her other teachers have noticed this as well."

"I suppose that is too be expected given the circumstances." Mrs. Robertson nodded.

"The circumstances?" Greg inquired.

"Young ladies who are victims of rape are often scared of men." Mrs. Robertson provided.

"I imagine you've been seeking to protect my sister's privacy, Mrs. Robertson. But I think that perhaps you ought to share more with her other teachers. It would add some understanding. I'll talk to her about it this afternoon. Obviously she can't avoid men forever."

"I am sorry Miss Bennet. I did not know."

"There's nothing to apologize for Greg. I thank you for voicing your concern."

"Thank you for understanding. I do have one other question though. How is it that you have come for your sister's conference. It was my understanding that her mother would be here, and I am aware that you are not your sister's guardian."

"Our mother was supposedly planning to come until two days ago. I may not legally be Kitty's guardian, but for all practical purposes I am. We have not seen our mother in more than a month."

"Have you considered becoming Kitty's legal guardian?" Mrs. Robertson asked.

"Do you think it is worthwhile when she is so close to adulthood?"

"Do you think she needs protected from your mother?"

"I had not considered that, Mrs. Robertson."

"I will speak to the guidance counselor about this. Perhaps, you could speak with her yourself later."

"Thank you."

"And now," Greg interjected, "I understand Kitty is going to give you a new hairstyle. Would you like me to walk you over the salon. I have a few suggestions for her." Lizzie laughed.

"I told her I would trust her implicitly, but I don't know if I could trust you."

"I'm deeply offended." Greg spoke teasingly.

Thus was Lizzie led to her doom. Or at least that's how she felt as it was happening. Between Greg and Kitty it was decided that she ought to have her hair straightened and cut to frame her face. Lizzie was surprised a hour and a half later to see her new look.

"I think I like it."

"I think Dr. Darcy will like it."

"Kitty! You know Darcy's just my friend."

"Yeah, but don't you wish he was more?" Lizzie chuckled.

"Only when he's not being a jerkface."

Just then Lizzie's phone rang.

"Darcy? What's up?"

"Hey. Ummm... I was hoping you could maybe come over after work today."

"I can probably come over, but I'm not actually at work. I took the afternoon off to come to my sister's parent-teacher conference."

"I knew I came to the right person for help."

"Ummm?"

"It's my sister. I've had to bring her home from boarding school. I only sort of know what's going on, and she won't talk to me at all. If you could come over, I can tell you what's going on and hopefully she'll talk to you."

"I'm not sure why you think she would talk to a random stranger."

"You're not a random stranger Lizzie. She doesn't know you yet, but I do, and I need your help."

"I'll be over later, then. But for now, I've promised to spend the rest of the afternoon with my sister Kitty and our aunt Jane. If I have them drop me off, could you give me a ride home later?"

"Sure. Maybe they could join us for dinner? How 'bout around six."

"Sounds good, Will." Darcy thought it odd and first when Lizzie called him Will, but then he decided that he didn't mind at all. In fact he kind of liked it.

"See ya later then, Liz."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After a fun afternoon of shopping and a stop at their favorite ice cream parlor, Lizzie, Kitty and Jane made their way to Darcy's magnificent home. The door was opened by a young woman Lizzie did not recognize. A young beautiful perfectly sculpted woman with not a hair out of place.

"Hi! Come on in." The woman looked a Jane, "You must be Lizzie. Darcy said he was expecting you. He and Charlie are in the billiards room."

"With the candlestick?" Lizzie could not help but ask. The woman was not amused.

"Excuse me but who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Lizzie. This is my sister, Kitty and my aunt Jane."

"Your aunt? Oh excuse me. I just assumed you were Lizzie, you see Charlie's always talking about how wonderful Lizzie is. And you're so much prettier." Jane blushed, and Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm Caroline, by the way – Charlie's sister."

"Charles and Caroline? Was your mother a fan of _Little House on the Prairie_?"

"Maybe?"

"Oh never mind. Let's go find the guys."

When Lizzie spotted Darcy she saw that he looked rather distraught and immediately walked over to comfort him. She placed her hand on his arm, and gave him a soft smile. He quirked up one side of his mouth in return. Carol(ine noticed this exchange and frowned.

"So, I'd have mentioned it earlier, but I totally forgot that Charlie's sisters were visiting this weekend. Since Charlie doesn't have enough room for them at his apartment, I said that they could stay here."

"Sisters … plural?"

"Yeah. His sister Louisa and her husband will be arriving later tonight."

"Sounds like you've got the party house, then?"

"Yay." Darcy said with a thoroughly non-enthusiastic tone.

Just then the two looked over, only to find that Charlie and Jane were standing and staring at one another silently.

"Oh, excuse me, I've forgotten introductions. Charlie, this is my aunt Jane, who is probably the kindest most generous person in the world and this is my sister Kitty, who is an incredibly talented hairstylist in training."

"Your sister did your hair?"

"Yes, Charlie, do you like it?"

"It suits you." Charlie replied as Darcy simply nodded. Then, Charlie turned to Jane and began a conversation.

"So _Aunt_ Jane?"

"Lizzie's granny is my step-mom."

Caroline interrupted, "So your dad likes older women."

"They're pretty close to the same age. Lizzie's granny is only 52." Caroline looked wide-eyed at Lizzie.

"So you're grandma and your mom were both teenagers when they got pregnant."

"No."

"No? What do you mean?"

"How could that be?"

"Mama was only twelve." Caroline glared at Charlie, trying with her eyes to tell him that these people were thoroughly unsuitable to spend time with. Then she turned to Jane.

"And what of you? Are you also a product of such loose morals?"

"Excuse me? I don't think you have the right to question the morals without knowing the story."

"I wasn't asking you Lizzie, Jane, tell me about your background." Caroline's voice dripped with sweetness, and Jane, who only thought the best of everyone and who was ultimately very proud of her parents, answered forthrightly.

"My parents were both in their twenties when I was born. My mama was a refugee from Vietnam. She was dedicated to following God above all else, as my dad still is. He is a very kind and intelligent man with very strong morals."

"Then how on earth did he end up married to a women who had a child so young?"

"You imply that a persons morals and beliefs cannot change over time? My step-mother has very similar values to my father. And both of them place a very high value on marriage."

"Granny even more so than Papa, right Lizzie?" Kitty added. Lizzie and Jane both laughed.

"Yes, she very much wants to see us married. I think she has given up hope on mama though." Caroline thought by now that she had a fair picture of the situation –clearly these girls were out to marry for money to give themselves a better life. She looked over at Charlie, he was clearly smitten with Jane, but hadn't he been yammering on about Lizzie these past weeks? Men, who could know what went on in there minds?

"So what is that you do, Jane?" Charlie asked.

"I'm a waitress." Caroline's eyes rolled as Charlie asked for the name of the restaurant and she could already guess that he would be eating there three times a week now.

"Do you plan on doing anything more with your life?"

"I hope to do a lot of things in life, Caroline, but no, I don't have another career plan. College isn't really an option for me."

"Have you ever considered modeling? You're certainly pretty enough."

"No I really haven't"

"I could introduce you to my agency."

"You're a model? Wow! And you'd really give me an introduction." Darcy looked at Charlie with raised eyebrows and Charlie gave his sister a questioning look. Both of them knew Caroline well enough to know that she was up to something. Jane did not and was happy in knowing that she had made such a sweet new friend.

Just then the door bell rang. And Darcy jumped up.

"That's probably dinner. I ordered Chinese take-out. Lizzie, would you help me with it?" Lizzie gladly followed him to the door.

Before returning to the others, Lizzie had express her confusion, "So I'm really not sure why I'm here tonight."

"Well, it's kind of complicated." Darcy's cheeks were a little crimson, and Lizzie could hardly guess why.

"So you went to visit your sister?"

"Yes, and when I arrived at her dorm room, she was at class."

"I had the key so I went ahead and let myself in. Only to find that a guy had clearly been staying there with her."

"And you flipped?"

"Of course. Then I went to the principal's office. He wasn't in, so I spoke to his assistant. I wasn't exactly kind in my speech."

"You lost your temper?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, I decided I needed to pull Georgiana from school. She came home with me but refuses to talk to me at all. Around five o'clock I got a call from the principal. He'd talked to the dorm mother in Georgie's dorm and she said she'd let the guy stay there because she thought he was me, there for a visit. So you see my sixteen-year-old sister has had a grown man sleeping in her dorm room. So yeah, I'm freaked and she's pissed."

"And you think she'll talk to me?"

"I certainly hope so. And if not I totally expect you to know what to do."

"I'll try. Why don't you show me where she is?"

A few moments later Lizzie and Darcy were standing in front of Georgiana's door.

"Georgie, can you open up? We have visitors, and there is someone in particular I'd like you to meet."

"Go away."

"Please, sweetie. I really think you'll like her."

"Do I have to go down and see Charlie's sisters?"

"You don't have to leave the room if you don't want to."

Finally Georgie opened the door, she stared at Lizzie and boldly questioned, "Who're you?"

"I'm Lizzie, I'm Will's friend."

"Geez, brother. You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend."

"Not girlfriend. Friend."

"But she called you Will. You must be close."

"I guess we are. She's really easy to talk to, and I think you might like talking to her."

"Oh, I see how it is. You think if I won't talk to you, I'll talk to her instead."

"There's no need to raise your voice."

"Hey, Will, it's okay. Why don't you leave Georgie and I here and you can go feed your guests. Just make sure to save some Hainan Chicken and some soup."

As soon as Darcy was out of earshot, Lizzie closed the door and looked at Georgie.

"So you're brother thinks I have some magic ability that will cause you to tell me all about the mysterious man who was in your room." Georgie smiled a little and then frowned again.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Then don't. Instead let's get to know each other. Do you want me to talk first?"

"Whatever."

"Okay. I'm Lizzie Bennet and I'm 23 years old. I'm a nurse in the NICU and I have been since I graduated from college at 18. I like my job, since I get to help save babies. But sometimes it's hard because the babies die. What about you, what do you want to do when you're done with school?"

"I dunno. I think my family wants me to take an important position at Fitzwilliam Medical."

"But what do you want to do?"

"Play the violin maybe?"

"You play the violin?"

"Among other things."

"I've always wanted to learn to play the violin. Can you show me?"

Georgie grabbed her instrument and began to play with passion. Lizzie watched and was in awe, "If you want to be a violinist, I think your brother would be pleased not disappointed."

"I dunno. He likes me to play violin. He likes it when I'm first chair. And then there are all the sports and clubs and he always says he's so proud of all of the things. I want him to be happy. But sometimes I'm just so tired."

"You mean you do all this extra stuff because it makes your brother happy?"

"He only ever seems to notice me when I'm getting awards and stuff."

"Georgie, your brother loves you. But maybe he just doesn't know how to relate to you."

"When we talk he always asks about all my activities. He doesn't ask about how I'm feeling."

"That's 'cuz he's a guy. Most guys are like that."

"Maybe. I think he resents having to take care of me. I think that's why he sent me away to school."

"I'm sure you are wrong. It's hard to be responsible for a younger sister. But it's a huge blessing too. I know your brother misses you when you're away. And I am sure he's glad he has the chance to provide for you."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I know how I feel about my little sister."

"You have a little sister? Are you her guardian? You know it's totally different if you're not responsible for her."

"Legally I'm not. But we haven't seen our mama in ages, so for practical purposes I am. She's seventeen and a really sweet girl. If you decide to come out of your room you might get to meet her."

"Does she do a bunch of activities? Are you proud of her?"

"She goes to school, does her homework and works at her part-time job. But she's also a dedicated mother and I'm most proud of her for trying to make a better life for herself and Jake."

"Your sister's seventeen and a mother and you're proud of her?"

"Very much so." Lizzie could almost see the wheels turning in Georgie's head –maybe Lizzie would be a safe person to trust. "And I adore my nephew, Jake."

"So your mama isn't around. What about your dad?"

"I don't have a dad. Kitty sort of does, he comes 'round about once every couple of years. Mama tried to get child support, but he doesn't have any money."

"What do you mean? Everybody has a dad."

"No, they don't."

"So you were from sperm donor or something."

"Not exactly."

"Not exactly? What do you mean?"

"I mean that my father spent twenty years in prison for the act that gave me life."

"Oh God, Lizzie. I guess I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay."

"So do you and Kitty live alone... with Jake?"

"No. We live with our Granny and Papa. Papa is Granny's husband. They married a little after I graduated from highschool. And then there's Mary and Jane. They're Papa's daughters, so my aunts. But they're younger than me, so really more like sisters. Jane's downstairs with the others, you can meet her if you like. She seems pretty taken with Charlie."

"I am kind of hungry."

"Then why don't we go downstairs and eat. You can meet Jane and Kitty. And then, we can make some brownies."

"I like the way you think. I don't know if we have any brownie mix though. Well, then we'll just have to get some. We could make them from scratch though. IF you have the ingredients anyway."

"Mrs. Reynolds says that making brownies from scratch is when you scratch the box open to get the mix out."

"I like Mrs. Reynolds."

When Georgie and Lizzie entered the kitchen, they found that the others had already finished dinner and had departed to watch a video. So the two of them settled comfortably at the table and ate some dinner.

"I've never had Hainan chicken before, it's pretty tasty."

"It's my favorite."

"I like the General Tso's the best. I always say I will google General Tso and find out if he was a real person. But I always forget to."

"I tried to make General Tso's chicken one time. It didn't really turn out. Papa liked it though, so he ate the leftovers in his lunch for a week."

For awhile the two sat in silence.

"Lizzie?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's possible for a girl my age to be in love with a grown man?"

"Ummm... probably so. Can I tell you a secret?"

"uh?"

"Promise you won't tell Will."

"Promise."

"I've had a crush on your brother since I met him. And I was sixteen then." Georgie eyes widened.

"Truly?"

"So I know a girl can have strong feelings about a grown man."

"Do you think he could love her back. Really, truly?"

"I expect so. But here's the thing. If a man did love a girl your age he would respect her enough not to act on it. He would probably try to stay away, and he certainly would not push her to show him affection."

"George said he loved me."

"George?"

"George Wickham." Lizzie paled.

"Is that who was staying with you?"

"Yes. We've been texting for months. Then a couple weeks ago, he showed up saying he needed a place to stay, so I let him crash in my dorm."

"And he told you he loved you." Georgie sighed with a smile on her face.

"Did you become involved with him physically?"

"Uh... yeah... but we hadn't... you know... yet."

"Oh."

"Honestly, I had decided I was going to... you know... tonight. But then Will came and took me away."

"You should be glad, Georgie."

"So you disapprove."

"I do. But you should also know that George Wickham is not a good man."

"Umm... How do you know that? Have you met him?"

"I've seen him. But only once. There was a car accident –I saw it. He was the driver and he was drunk. He fled the accident with a man trapped under the car. The man was my best friend's father and he can no longer use his arms or legs. George Wickham is now a fugitive because of that hit-and-run. Plus the car he was driving was your brother's he had stolen it."

"Oh God! Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes, the police are sure so I am sure."

Georgie was now bawling. Lizzie wrapped her arms around the younger girl for comfort.

"And I let him...? Am I gonna be in trouble for this?"

"No sweetie. What you did is wrong, but you were a victim here. He took advantage of you."

"Do you think Will will see it that way?"

"I'm sure of it. Do you want me to talk to your brother about it?"

"If you don't mind."

"Alrighty then. Let's go find the others. You can meet Jane and Kitty. I'll talk to your brother and then we can acquire a brownie mix."

Since the others were in the middle of watching a movie, Georgiana decided it was best to skip introductions and instead found a seat for herself, while Lizzie beckoned Darcy away to talk. Despite the dim lights, neither of them failed to notice that Jane was leaning against Charlie, or that the two of them were holding hands.

As they wandered down the hallway, Lizzie looked at Darcy and gave a sigh of relief.

"Well, it looks like Charlie's moved on finally."

"This pleases you?"

"You do not think I wanted Charlie's attentions did you?"

"He'd be a good catch for you? I know he's very eligible."

"This is the twenty-first century sir. I am not trying to catch a husband. Though, even if I was, I don't think Charlie's anywhere near ready to settle."

"I thought your dream was to get married and raise a family."

"Don't forget the part about falling in love. I want to get married, but not to just anyone. If my goal was to get married, I'd be planning a wedding with Billy now." Realizing that she'd said too much, Lizzie clapped a hand over her mouth."

"Billy proposed to you?"

"Basically. It was probably the most unromantic proposal ever."

"Even worse than when the Coachman askes Davy to pass on the message to Peggoty in _David Copperfield_?"

"Barkis is willing" Lizzie giggled, "maybe not quite that bad. He was pretty much telling me to stop playing hard to get so we could settle down with a house 2.5 kids and a white picket fence." Darcy tried to conceal his laughter and coughed. "But I really shouldn't tell you this."

"No you probably shouldn't. Billy really is a good guy."

"And he'll make someone a good wife, but not me."

"So Charlie's not your type and Billy's not your type, what is your type?"

"I don't think it's in my best interest to share that with you. But I will say, definitely not a puppy."

"And Billy and Charlie are both puppies?"

"You said it, not me."

"Hmmm... but somehow I think there was something else you wanted to talk about when you drug me away."

"Yes. Georgiana did confide in me and she asked me to talk to you. She's super afraid of angering or disappointing you. You are not going to like what I have to say."

"Spill."

"The man staying in Georgie's room was none other than George Wickham."

"I'll kill him!"

"No. You won't"

"Did he...? Did they...? Oh my God he... to my baby sister."

"No, Will. They didn't, but it sounds like they would have if you hadn't been there tonight. They did have a physical relationship though."

Darcy buried his face in his hands in anguish thinking about what had almost happened. Lizzie reflexively wrapped her arms around him, and Darcy found himself oddly comforted. He found himself wondering how Lizzie's friendship had become so priceless to him in such a short time.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

While Darcy and Lizzy were discussing Georgiana's situation, his other guests were ostensibly watching a movie –an independent flick Caroline had selected because she thought it would demonstrate her sophisticated taste. In reality, no one was really watching the movie. Caroline was droning on and on about her modeling career and introducing Jane to her agent. Meanwhile, Charles was staring at Jane like a lovesick puppy. Kitty looked over to Georgiana and rolled her eyes. Georgiana replied with a shy giggle.

"Your name's Kitty, right?"

"That's right."

"Is that short for something?"

"No. It's just Kittty. People think it's short for Katherine. But it's not. Katherine's actually my middle name. So when people call me Katherine I'm cool with that. Lizzie calls me Kitty Kat."

"So is Lizzie just Lizzie then?"

"Nope. She's Elizabeth. She's named after someone who saved my mama's life."

"Oh?"

"Honestly, I think my mama was wacked out on narcotics when she named me. I understand it was a pretty difficult labor."

"Oh."

"I can't say that really could hold that against her. I picked my son's name before he was born, who knows what I would have come up with if I'd done it after twelve hours of labor."

"How... How old is your son."

"Jake will be two in a couple of weeks."

"The terrible twos then?"

"We'll see, Granny says that Lizzie and I didn't really have terrible twos. So maybe it won't be so bad. Granny also says mama is in her terrible thirty-somethings."

"Oh."

"Thanks for not commenting about the age thing."

"The age thing?"

"Yeah. You know, the fact that mama's in her thirties when Lizzie is twenty-three. Or the fact that I had a baby at fifteen. People usually have to ask."

"I figured it was none of my business."

"I think I'm gonna like you a lot Georgiana Darcy. So what's it like being Dr. Darcy's little sister?"

"Do you not like my brother?"

"He's not so bad. But I didn't like him so well when we first met."

"Oh?"

"It's alright he apologized and I think he meant it. Plus Lizzie really likes him a lot."

"I think he likes her a lot too."

"Umm, speaking of our siblings, I should probably go find them. I have to be at work early tomorrow morning, so someone needs to take me home."

"Oh?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Lizzie said she'd bake brownies with me tonight."

"She still can. Jane can drive me home, as long as your brother takes Lizzie home later."

"Good luck prying Jane away from Charlie."

"They do make an awfully cute couple."

After a few minutes, Kitty drug Jane away from Charlie and Georgiana wandered off to inform Lizzie of their departure. What Georgiana found surprised her. Her brother was on the phone making a police report, and Lizzie's arm was wrapped across his shoulders comfortingly. She cleared her throat awkwardly; Lizzie patted Darcy's back and ushered his sister away.

"Your brother is reporting to the police about Wickham."

"But he and I didn't do anything illegal."

"I suppose it's open to interpretation if he broke any laws where you are concerned, sweetie. But the fact remains that he stole your brother's car and caused a man permanent injuries."

"Oh yeah."

"Do you drive, Georgie?"

"No. Not yet. Will says I'm not mature enough. Ugh."

"Then I guess we'll have to wait until Will's off the phone."

"Should we go back and sit with Charlie and Caroline?"

"We probably should?"

"Or maybe we could ask Charlie to take us to the store."

"I bet he would."

A few minutes later, Georgie, Lizzie and Charlie were all standing in the driveway, as a flustered Jane hopped out of the van. She looked at Charlie, as he stood with keys in hand.

"Can you jump me?" Charlie's confusion was evident in the puzzled expression on his face. Jane blushed at his reaction.

"I mean... the van won't start. Could you give us a jump start?"

"I wouldn't mind, but I don't really know how. And I don't have jumper cables."

"Oh we have cables, and I can set it up. Let me show you."

Lizzie piped in, "Hopefully a jump'll do it. I hope it's not the alternator."

"I don't think so, Liz. It looks like the dome light was left on." Jane replied as she hooked the cables up.

"That's good. I worry about the alternator ever since that trip to the mechanic when they said I should replace it because the alternator bearings were bad."

"Alternators have bearings?" Charlie looked both curious and embarassed at his own lack of knowledge.

"Apparently. The van was making a terrible squealing noise and Papa didn't have time to check it out so I took it to the mechanic. They spent and hour looking at it and then told me it was the alternator bearings and that I need a new alternator. I didn't want to spend the money on it, so I said I'd think about it. I came home and told Papa. He sprayed WD-40 on them and it hasn't given us any problems since then."

"I'll have to remember that if my alternator bearings go bad."

"I rather have the feeling that you would automatically do whatever the mechanic said?" Charlie laughed.

"You read me straight, Lizzie. If I came out and found my car wouldn't start, I'd call for roadside assistance."

"Truly?"

"Truly."

"My brother says I have to be able to jump start a car, change a tire, and check the fluids before I can have my license."

"I think that's a very sensible approach, Georgie."

"Probably so, but if something goes wrong he calls for help."

"But if he were stuck in the middle of nowhere he wouldn't need to." Lizzie stated, still inwardly shocked that people would call for help with problems that could be so easily solved without assistance. "Growing up in the ghetto, you learn to be sort of independent about these things."

At this point there was a rather awkward pause in the conversation, which Lizzie broke by asking Georgiana what type of brownies she would like to bake. After this the group entered into a conversations about desserts which lasted until the van was finally started.

Jane and Charlie said somewhat regretful good-byes with Charlie promising to text Jane soon. And then Charlie, Georgie, and Lizzie were finally off to the grocery store.

Once in the car it did not take long for Charlie to bring up the subject on his mind.

"So Lizzie, tell me about your aunt Jane. Is she really as much of an angel as she seems?"

"Moreso. She is kind to everyone and believes the best of everybody. Despite having been hurt often, she is very trusting. Because of that, I feel very protective of her." Lizzie gave Charlie a rather pointed look, and though Charlie could not see it since he was driving, he could hear the warning in her voice."

"So you would not hesitate to seek revenge on someone who hurt her?"

"Not at all. Mostly the guys who have hurt her are the ones who admire her for her beauty but fail to look beyond it. If you really want to date her, I hope you will get to know her."

"Thanks, Liz. I will."

"Now aren't you glad for all those times I told you no. It'd have been pretty weird if you were dating me when you were dumbstruck at the sight of my beauteous aunt."

"Oh Lizzie! You are certainly charming enough yourself. Perhaps I wouldn't have noticed her beauty if I already had your heart." Lizzie laughed softly.

"Don't deceive yourself Charlie. You and I never would have suited."

Georgiana who had been listening in silence all this time could not help herself, "perhaps it's because your heart has already been given away."

"Oh no, Georgie, not at all. My heart is very much my own."

"But you said -"

"That I have a crush. I think you have yet to learn the difference between an infatuation and true love. My aunt Maddie often talked to me about guarding my heart and not giving it away easily. I've seen my mama make too many foolish matches. Though sometimes I think it may be stolen from me."

Georgie didn't answer, but Lizzie could hear quietly crying in the backseat.

"Oh sweetie. It'll be all right. Besides, chocolate makes everything better."

"I'll second that," Charlie added, "At least it works for my sisters whenever they have woman troubles."

"Does chocolate not help with man troubles?"

"It does, Lizzie, but I don't think it's the same."

"Well, then, Georgie and I will have to keep all the brownies to ourselves."

"You wouldn't do that! That's cruelty."

"You're right we wouldn't." Lizzie replied, marveling how much easier it was to talk to Charlie now that he wasn't romantically inclined toward her.

Upon arriving at the store, the three clambered out of the car, and Lizzie noticed a familiar pair standing at the Redbox holding hands and trying to pick out a movie.

"Hey Char! Hey Billy!"

"Lizzie!" Char squealed, "Billy and I are trying to pick out a movie to take back to the house tonight, but he wants a mindless action movie."

"And she wants a chick flick!" Billy added.

"Well why don't you get one of each?"

"I don't think mom would like for Billy to stay that late."

"Well pick one then. And then pick another tomorrow."

"You're a genius Lizzie!" Billy smiled at his cousin, "By the way, speaking of moms, you're mama came home today."

"Oh. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. It's too bad that you've gotta move to the couch."

"Well at least I've got a place to stay. And I'll have a really nice place after I graduate. Mrs. DeBourgh is providing me with her guest house."

"Mrs. DeBourgh?" the nearly forgotten Georgiana wondered.

"That's right Georgie, my cousin Billy has gotten a job working for your aunt. He'll be moving to Georgia at the end of the semester."

"Oh."

"By the way, Billy and Char, forgive me for forgetting introductions. This is Georgiana Darcy. Georgie, this is my cousin Billy Collins and my best friend Char Patel."

"Patel? Her dad's the one who...?"

"Yes, Georgie."

"I'm so sorry about the accident, Char. I understand it was my brother's car?"

"Thanks. It's really hard knowing that things are never going to be the same. But it does sound like Dad is going to come home sometime next week. My mom and dad and my sister Maria are moving to India as soon as Maria's semester is over."

"I bet you'll miss them a lot."

"Yes, Georgiana, I will. I've always had my family with me. And I was homeschooled so we've always been really close. It will be hard."

"Maybe Lizzie will come make brownies with you." Georgiana turned to Lizzie, "We had better get the brownie mix. Will might become alarmed if we don't get back soon."

"Well, it was nice meeting you."

"Have fun with your movie," Lizzie added laughingly.

As they walked into a store, Georgie whispered to her companions, "I think they make a cute couple."

"Ummm... I guess."

"You're not jealous are you, Lizzie. I didn't think you were into Billy despite his obvious affection for you. Course that might have been wishful thinking on my part." Lizzie laughed.

"No, Charlie, you were right. I am certainly not jealous. I wish them both the most possible happiness; I just don't know if they can find that together. But I guess it's not for me to decide."

The three continued to converse as they found and purchased brownie mix and as they drove back to the Darcy's home. When they entered the home, they found Darcy sitting on a sofa with an open Bible on his lap, and Caroline leaning over him, obviously trying to draw all of his attention to herself.

"Why, Darcy, I didn't know you were so religious."

"I'm not."

"But you're reading a Bible."

"It was suggested that I read the book of Jonah."

"That's the one about the boy that killed a giant right?"

"No that was David."

"The one who got thrown in a pit with lions?"

"Daniel. No Jonah was the one who got swallowed by a fish."

"Those are stories for children."

"Lizzie doesn't think so."

"She's the one who said you should read this." Caroline had not realized their discussion had gained an audience, "Do you think she believes all this stuff?"

"We haven't really talked about what she believes. But she recommended as a work of satire."

"It's okay Caroline, Darcy is only reading it because I wrote an essay that I won't let him read until he's done it."

"Well then." Caroline responded with a huff.

"Is Louisa here yet?" Charlie inquired.

"No, they just called their flight was delayed, but they've landed now and will be on their way after they get their rental car."

"Caroline," Lizzie offered, "Georgie and I are going to bake brownies, would you like to join us?" Caroline looked at Darcy.

"No thanks, I'll stay out here with Darcy and Charlie."

"Can I join you?"

"No Will. This is a girl's only project. But don't worry we'll let you eat some."

Once Georgie and Lizzie arrived in the Kitchen, Lizzie could not contain her laughter. "I've noticed Caroline has a thing for your brother."

"A thing? That's putting it lightly. An obsession maybe? But not really about him. She just wants the money She doesn't really know him at all, though she tries to act like she's interested in everything he likes."

"So we should expect her to reading the Bible soon?"

"Maybe. Why did you invite her to join us?"

"It seemed like the right thing to do. Besides I was sure she wouldn't." Now it was Georgiana's turn to laugh. The two of them continued to talk and laugh pleasantly until such time as the brownies were done.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"You and Georgie seemed to have a good time tonight." Darcy noted as he was driving Lizzie home.

"We did. She's a really fun girl. I think maybe she needs more fun."

"I think you were good for her. She normally doesn't talk that much to people she doesn't know."

"Do you have a plan for what she will do now. What are you going to do about school?"

"I dunno, but I can't send her back. I suppose I'll find another boarding school."

"Why? Wouldn't you rather have her with you?"

"Of course I would. I just think it would be better for her."

"I think you're wrong. I think you should find a school locally and let her live with you. I think she needs to spend more time with you so she can see that you love her for who she is, not what she can accomplish."

"What gives you the right to say how I should raise my sister."

"I thought that as your friend I could give advice. You certainly aren't required to take."

"You don't understand what it's like. Being responsible for my baby sister."

"I don't? I rather think I do!"

A long period of silence followed.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie. I guess you do. And you've done a good job with Kitty too, from what I can tell. It's just... I feel like I've failed my sister, and your advice shows me all the more how I'm failing her."

"No Will, you haven't failed her. I just want to see what's best for both of you."

"I work so many hours, do you think she could be happy with me. She'd be alone a lot. Though she is involved in a lot of activities."

"Too many activities."

"She likes being involved in all those things. How can I tell her no?"

"She likes being praised by you for what she accomplishes."

"Ouch?"

"Sorry Will. I'm maybe being too harsh. I wish I didn't work so many hours, then I could spend more time with her."

"Why do you work so many hours? I know you live a modest life, you can't need all that extra money. How do you spend it all anyway?"

"Honestly. I don't. When I started working, I really did need the extra money. I suppose the hospital could hire another nurse, but somebody needs to cover the hours. As far as how I spend the money... that's kind of personal. Since we're being so open I guess I'll share... There's my living expenses of course. And then Kitty and Jake's expenses. Mama gets food stamps for them, but she certainly doesn't buy them any food. I don't really know what she does with them. Then there's Mary's tuition -"

"You pay Mary's tuition?"

"She's really smart, but she didn't go to a very good school and she didn't get very good grades in high school. So she didn't get any scholarships. I guess I'm giving her my own scholarship."

"Oh. That's really generous of you. But I think maybe working so many hours is contrary to your self-professed life goals."

"You don't think I'll meet my future husband in the NICU?"

"Well, it looks like your chance with Charlie passed." Lizzie giggled.

"Not many men give me a second look after they see Jane. But honestly I am really glad. I like Charlie, but not like that." Darcy thought any man who would prefer Jane to Lizzie was a fool, but he couldn't say that. It might give Lizzie the wrong idea. Instead he changed the subject.

"So the story of Jonah seems pretty interesting. I didn't finish it because Caroline was a bit distracting. But it seemed both funny and thoughtful."

"Good satire then."

"Certainly."

"And some people think God doesn't have a sense of humor!"

"So do you believe it all."

"I do. I mean I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. Though I don't think every word of the Bible is meant to be taken literally. What about you?"

"I don't really know what I believe anymore. My mother had a really strong faith, but after she died Dad and I were both pretty mad at God. I guess we stopped going to church then. I only go now for special occasions and when we visit Aunt Catherine."

"Would you like to visit my church and see what it's like."

"I'd like that. It might help me understand you better. Something tells me it's a lot different than Aunt Catherine's church."

"I am sure. By the way, we saw Char and Billy and the store. Char says her dad's coming home soon."

"That's great. It amazes me how optimistic he's being through all of this."

"Dr. Patel is a truly fine man. I admire his ability to look at the bright side."

"You always seem to look at the bright side. You seem so full of laughter."

"I try to. But I can get pretty worked up over things to."

"And then you talk ghetto." Darcy smiled as he spoke, thinking that Lizzie had been rather cute when she was angry.

Seeing Darcy's smile and perceiving herself the object of his entertainment, Lizzie replied, "Now I suppose you're going to try to make me angry just so I'll talk like that."

"Maybe not, if you'll demonstrate without provocation."

"Urgh! You know it's not really funny to laugh at the way people talk."

"No. And I suppose you wouldn't think it was funny the way I used to tease Georgie about the screeching she made on her violin."

"Probably not. But that's an entirely different matter. By the way, I guess the teasing didn't deter her much, since she is a phenomenal musician now. She told me she wants to be a violinist."

"You mean as a career?"

"Yeah. You should ask her about it." Lizzie couldn't read Darcy's expression, and wondered if maybe Georgiana was right that her brother would not approve her aspirations.

"Well, I should definitely make sure her new school has a good orchestra then."

A few minutes later, when Darcy pulled up in front of Lizzie's house, there was quite a crowd assembled in the small front yard. Lizzie's mother stood in the midst of them, wearing a tube top and miniskirt despite the chill October air.

Lizzie saw a group of friendly neighbors greeting someone they hadn't seen in a few weeks. Darcy saw a bunch of danger hooligans who might be a threat to Lizzie.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"I'm sure."

"Can I walk you in?"

"If you like. Who am I to object to gentlemanly behavior?" So Darcy exited the vehicle and walked around opening the door for Lizzie, and he walked her to the door.

"Thanks for helping with Georgie tonight." Darcy said as he leaned down to hug Lizzie good-bye.

"It was my pleasure. I really mean it."

"So what time is church on Sunday? And where is it?"

"Church starts at 11. But if you come by here around 10, you can eat breakfast with us. Papa always makes a big breakfast on Sunday mornings."

"Alright, I'll be by around then, and I'll bring Georgie if she wants to come."

Lizzie gave Darcy another hug and then quickly entered the front door. Darcy turned around to see that the crowd was now watching him, with Lydia standing right in front.

"Excuse me." He stuttered.

"So, Libby wouldn't stay the night with you?"

"Uhhh."

"It looks like you didn't even get a goodnight kiss. Poor thing. Such an early end for an evening."

"It's past midnight."

"Oh there's still plenty of time for fun. Why don't you take me out instead?"

"Hey Lyddie, don' be a fool. Fizzwilliam here ain' after yo' type. He wan' a girl he can take home to his mama!" Darcy looked at saw the man who had called out to Lizzie when he was there before.

"Shut it!"

"Hey, no offense, but would you please let me by. I've got to get home to my little sister."

As Darcy finally managed to getaway, Lydia muttered, "What a prig!" while her neighbors laughed at her.

"You know," one of them said, "he could be your son-in-law, I think you ought to be nice to the man."

"Hrrmph," she replied.


End file.
